


sunlight

by apricotaeris



Series: sunlight, moonlight, midnight [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Depression, Eventual Happy Ending, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Getting Together, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Kidnapping, Kushina and Minato live, M/M, Not Really Character Death, Pining, Polyamory, Secret Identity, Slow Burn, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Team as Family, Timeline Meddling, a wedding, because of sakumo, duckling genin, eventual (legal) romance, i just realized this story is getting gayer and gayer, mentions of Arranged Marriage, my god there are so many layers of pining that it isn't funny, not that i mind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:54:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 30
Words: 98,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24428329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apricotaeris/pseuds/apricotaeris
Summary: After the disappearance of the demon fox, and the supposed death of the Yondaime's beloved son, the village of Konoha grieves. Perhaps the most affected are the Yondaime himself and his ill wife. Or maybe the most affected is Kakashi, who has been the child's silent guard since his birth.But Kakashi believes that Naruto is still alive, and he will stop at nothing to find him.Meanwhile, there's a new jinchuriki for the Nine Tailed Fox. He and his savior train, an ever present deadline at their heels.
Relationships: Eventual Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Itachi/Uchiha Shisui/Uzumaki Naruto, Eventual Hatake Kakashi/Uzumaki Naruto, Eventual Nara Shikamaru/Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura/Yamanaka Ino (implied), Hatake Kakashi & Namikaze Minato, Hatake Kakashi & Namikaze Minato & Nohara Rin & Uchiha Obito, Hatake Kakashi & Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi/Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru & Uzumaki Naruto, Nohara Rin/Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Itachi & Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Itachi/Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Obito & Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Shisui & Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto & Everyone
Series: sunlight, moonlight, midnight [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2131311
Comments: 538
Kudos: 615





	1. Chapter 1

_all the tales the same_   
_told before and told again_   
_a soul that's born in cold and rain knows_   
_sunlight, sunlight, sunlight_

_**Sunlight - Hozier** _

_**...** _

Sensei’s son is born on a Tuesday, and the event is exceptionally anticlimactic. Now, Kakashi’s no expert, but he’s fairly certain that childbirth is supposed to be more painful. There’s supposed to be shouting, and crying, and _something_ more chaotic than a few pushes and a blond haired child that falls asleep only minutes after he’s born (right after the nurse has cleaned and dressed him).

The entire thing just makes him uncomfortable. While he can objectively understand why sensei has tears rolling down his face, and why sensei’s wife looks just as teary eyed, he sheds no tears of his own. He’s really only present in case of an emergency, like an attack on sensei’s wife while she’s weak, or an attack on the infant himself.

It all just seems so… undemanding? He doesn’t want to say _easy_ , exactly, because he has no idea, as he didn’t go through the birth himself, nor did he carry a child for nearly ten months, but the fact of the matter is this: Kushina-sama didn’t even break a sweat!

“Would you like to hold him?” Sensei whispers three hours after Kushina has fallen asleep. Kakashi starts, blinking confusedly at Minato’s smiling face.

 _Hold_ him? Kakashi, _hold a baby_?

“I’m on duty, sensei.” Kakashi doesn’t want to wake the child _or_ Kushina, so his voice is even softer than Minato’s.

“It’s okay, Kakashi. Just hold him for a few minutes while I go to the bathroom and stop to speak with the doctor.” With that, Kakashi is tugged closer to Minato’s side and brings his arms up because there’s nothing else for him to do--the infant is tucked into his hold and his sensei has escaped the room.

The bundle in his arms shifts, blue eyes blinking up at him. The child doesn’t have a name yet, but Kakashi isn’t concerned with that. He doesn’t think he’d make a good caretaker anyway. No, but he can at least do his best to watch over the babe from a distance. After all, this is the son of the next Hokage, the son of Kakashi’s sensei. An important baby if ever there was one.

He isn’t sure how long his gaze has been locked with the infant’s when his sensei returns. All he knows is that those blue eyes are going to be ingrained in his memory for years to come.

“He’s awake!” Minato crouches down beside him, and Kakashi relinquishes his hold when his sensei reaches out. “Kakashi, were you having a staring contest with my son already?”

Kakashi only hums, stepping back toward the wall, a silent guard.

(There was something about the depth of those eyes.)

/

“Good, Obito! Kakashi, this is your future teammate, not your enemy, but…” Minato trails off, head swivelling around as he searches the field. “Naruto? _Naruto~!_ Ne, Naruto, where did you go?”

Something hot and sharp rips through Kakashi’s chest when he realizes that he let his frustration at Obito divert the attention he’d been splitting between their spar and sensei’s son. He forfeits the fight immediately, trying not to panic when he realizes he can’t actually _sense him_.

The blood rushes in his ears, drowning out everything but the spike of panic in his chest. “ _Sensei_ \--”

Minato nods. “Split up. Find him. How far could he have gone?”

“Twenty minutes ago, he was still in my peripheral. Knowing how fast he is, maximum distance is four kilometers.” Kakashi answers, focusing on facts in order to suppress the fear that’s trying to claw its way to the front of his mind. “I let myself get distracted, sensei, I’m sorry.”

Minato turns to him, the look on his face making Kakashi’s chest ache. _What is this feeling?_ “Kakashi, it isn’t your fault. Split up. Send word if you find him.”

Kakashi is already gone before the last syllable leaves his lips, already following the scent of the boy with the deepest blue eyes he’s ever seen. He hates the worry and fear that’s filling him up--he feels _weak_ , like he can’t focus, like he _can’t breathe_. Ever since his--

Ever since _that_ day, Kakashi has sworn off his emotions. If having feelings can do _that_ , then he wants no part of them, but… But now, breathless at the idea that something has happened to… Now, Kakashi isn’t so sure that emotions are something he can avoid. It stings, realizing that he’s not strong enough to shut them off completely.

( _What does it mean, to be strong?_

_“It means that you know what is truly important. You understand what is precious and you will do everything in your power to protect what is precious to you.”_

_To be strong… I want to be strong, Father._

_“And you will be. But you must remember, son. True strength lies not in the body, but in the heart.”_ )

Kakashi takes a left, a right, another right, and pauses. _Center market? Where are you going?_ He leaps, perching on a rooftop for a better perspective. There! Is that-- _ah, but that hair is the wrong shade._

A laugh. Kakashi moves, but the child he finds has dark hair and green eyes.

Through his earpiece, he hears Rin’s “ _Negative. No sign of him on the west end_.” Obito also gives the negative, and Minato growls out that he hasn’t found Naruto, either.

“I traced his scent back to Center Market, but he’s no longer in the area.”

_“Keep looking, Kakashi.”_

He finds the toddler in a meadow in the forest behind the Academy, little hands fluttering above him, clumsily mocking the movements of a butterfly. The boy is only twenty months old, but he moves quick and _almost_ steady, for a child (and, he _is_ the son of the Yellow Flash). It really doesn’t surprise Kakashi that he’s made it this far, nor does it surprise him that the child doesn’t even look tired.

“Naruto,” he hums, ignoring the rough quality his voice has taken on.

“Ka-shi!” Naruto leaps toward him, blue eyes locking onto his grey ones. “Kaaaa-shi! Look!” Two little hands wrap around his wrist, tugging him further into the meadow, and Kakashi lets himself be brought to the center, where the blond flops onto his bottom and points.

The chunin uses his free hand to turn on his communicator after dropping onto the grass beside the boy. “I have him, sensei. Naruto followed a butterfly.”

Three sighs fill his left ear, making him grimace, but Naruto tugs on his sleeve to gain his attention back. Suddenly, those blue eyes are taking up his full range of vision, because Naruto is standing directly in front of him. “Kashi? Butterfly?”

“Yes, Naruto-chan. Do you like the butterflies?”

A firm nod. “Really pretty, Kashi.” He squints, eyebrows scrunched together. “Are you pretty?”

He hears a burst of laughter through his headset, but chooses to ignore it in favor of leaning a little closer, nearly bumping noses with the child. “You tell me.”

Wide eyes blink at him before those small hands reach up, pushing his mask out of the way, more gentle than he would have expected a two year old to be.

Kakashi’s almost nine, now, and while most kids his age are only just now going _into_ the Academy, he graduated at the tender age of five. But nobody outside of a handful of medics in the hospital have ever seen his face, until this moment.

Naruto grins. “Very pretty, Kashi!” He throws himself forward and presses a sloppy little boy kiss to Kakashi’s cheek before he drops down into Kakashi’s lap and promptly falls asleep.

Kakashi fixes his mask and stands with Naruto tucked against his chest. _I understand now_ , he thinks, though he banishes any other thoughts of his father on his trek toward Minato and Kushina’s house. _He is precious, and I will do anything I can to keep him safe. Is this what you meant?_

/

Being Hokage is a lot of work, and it’s a job that Minato is happy to do, but he will be forever thankful that Sarutobi-sama had the foresight to allow his Thursday training sessions with his team. Not only are they a welcome reprieve from the perpetual pile of urgent paperwork, but they allow him to assess his students and keep his own skills from slacking.

And their teamwork is better than ever, now. Things had been changing for a while, but even more so since his little son’s detour through the village. His students hadn’t even batted an eye despite the fact that two of them are still technically in the academy, they plunged themselves into the search for him without even thinking about it. Even Kakashi.

It’s not that he’d thought Kakashi wouldn’t help, or was heartless or anything, but the boy has been so closed off, so crisp and cold, since his father’s suicide. And yet, he was the one who’d nearly gone into a panic when he realized he’d lost track of Naruto. He was the one who located Naruto, and carried him home when the boy fell asleep.

That’s another thing: Kakashi watches his son like a hawk. If he’s within range, he’s most certainly keeping an eye out. But since that day, he doesn’t even try to be discreet about it. It almost seems like he’s dubbed himself Naruto’s private guard. He’s only nine years old, but Minato suspects that Kakashi has already chosen to put Naruto’s life above his own.

Not that Minato wouldn’t do the same, for his son or any member of his village, but…

The fact of the matter is: Kakashi has changed, and in turn, so has team seven. Kakashi is the quietest of them, but he’s always been cut from a different cloth. Minato can only hope that this change is better for them in the long run. How couldn’t it be, when his first student has finally begun to open himself up?

“Sensei, can I ask you something?”

“Of course you can, Rin.”

“Have you noticed that… Kakashi has been different lately?” The girl looks up at him, concern and something happier warring in her expression. She’s changed a lot, especially recently, and Minato hopes that whatever remaining crush she has on Kakashi will evaporate. He doesn’t think their resident genius will ever be interested, not to mention the fact that he hasn’t even hit puberty yet. He'll feel much better if everyone on the team is on the same page as far as emotions go.

“I have, Rin. What are your observations about this change? Care to share them with me?” He offers her a smile to let her know that he has his own ideas, but he really is curious about her thoughts on the subject.

“Naruto.” She laughs, soft and genuine. “He’s completely taken with Naruto. He’s never looked twice at any child we’ve ever been around, but there’s just something about your son that Kakashi has deemed precious. I won’t be surprised if he never leaves Naruto’s side.”

Never leaves… Naruto’s side?

Ever?

He supposes he hasn’t quite thought that far ahead.

_Maybe this will be good for them. Both of them. Naruto will have somebody outside of Kushina and myself who will always support him, and Kakashi has found somebody he wants to live for._

_I think Kushina will agree that it’s for the best._

“Thank you, Rin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how about them apples?
> 
> okay okay, anyone else just love the thought of baby naruto clinging to kakashi like he's the best person in the world? and kakashi reluctantly going along with all the clingyness because he'd rather be severely uncomfortable over hurting naruto's feelings? yes?
> 
> i'm not sorry
> 
> if you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment or write me an email!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minato has a proposition for Kakashi and somebody gets hurt.
> 
> :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy!

Kakashi wraps Naruto’s coat more tightly around his shoulders, urging his feet to move a little faster. Why his sensei had to summon him during this storm, when he’s meant to be babysitting Naruto for at _least_ another three hours, Kakashi doesn’t know. If it’s _that_ important, couldn’t he have sent somebody to take over watching the boy currently clinging to him while he leaps from roof to roof? _Not that I would have wanted to just hand him over._

But it’s the middle of a snowstorm in January. Naruto’s still a toddler, he really shouldn’t be out in this weather.

Kakashi heaves a sigh and readjusts his grip. _Troublesome Hokage..._

Not that the boy actually minds. From the second they left his sensei’s home, Naruto’s been giggling, breath warm against Kakashi’s cheek. “More, Kashi!”

He suppresses another sigh and slips through the window of his sensei’s office, directing an annoyed look at the smile on the Hokage’s face. Naruto squirms out of his arms, zipping back across the room to stand at the window to watch the snow. “Sensei, did you forget I was watching Naruto tonight?”

“No, Kakashi, I didn’t forget. Actually, what I want to discuss concerns both of you. He may not fully grasp our conversation, but it’s probably better that he’s here.” Minato gestures for Kakashi to take a seat and stands to retrieve his son. Once everyone is seated (Kakashi hadn’t noticed at first, but Shikaku Nara is sitting on a chair in the corner of the room, a bored look on his face), Minato pulls Kakashi’s attention away from the toddler sitting in his father’s lap by clearing his throat and gesturing around him. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Kakashi, but Kushina and I don’t rely on just anyone to keep an eye on Naruto when we’re called away for work or need a few hours to ourselves.”

Kakashi has noticed. “I assumed it was because I can track him if he slips away.” He hasn’t thought about it much beyond that, but now he’s starting to wonder if there’s something bigger going on here--there has to be, if he’s being summoned to the tower to talk about why he’s Sensei’s favorite babysitter.

“While that is something we appreciate, we actually ask you to watch Naruto because he adores you.”

_Adores… me?_

“You don’t see it, Kakashi, but he’s pretty shy when you aren’t around. He feels really safe around you, and that’s something that Kushina and I want to encourage and build on.”

_I’ve already vowed to myself to protect Naruto with my life, to do everything in my power to keep him safe. What will they ask of me?_

Kakashi says nothing, but his thoughts are going a mile a minute. They won’t ask him to be Naruto’s private guard, because Kakashi is already acting as one, and he’s sure that they’ve noticed. They won’t ask him to leave the shinobi forces for _several_ reasons, so that can’t be it. They won’t ask him to raise their son because he’s still a child himself…

“The truth is, Kushina and I want Naruto to be happy above everything else, and out of all the people in this village, you are the person he’s happiest around. If Naruto had been a girl, the council would have pushed for an arranged marriage before she was even born, but because he’s male, they don’t feel the need. I disagree, to an extent.”

_Arranged marriage?_

“Sensei… Are you asking me if I’ll agree to an arranged marriage with Naruto?”

Silence fills the room, until he hears Shikaku’s mumbled, “troublesome,” from the corner of the room.

“I am,” Minato finally tells him. “Not only do we think your presence is beneficial to Naruto, we also think that being around him is good for you, too. You’ve grown a lot in the last six months, Kakashi. Do you know what’s changed in that time?”

He doesn’t show it, but Kakashi’s dumbfounded. Sensei and Kushina really want him to marry Naruto one day? Why would they want that? For one thing, Kakashi and Naruto are both _boys_. Most arranged marriages are set for either reproduction or business. Right? And there’s also the fact that Kakashi is seven years older than Naruto. He supposes it won’t seem like much when they’re both adults, but the little boy sitting across from him is only three years old.

_I’m not good enough for this, sensei. Naruto is… He is…_

_Pure._

“I… have been spending a lot of time with your son.”

Minato nods, watching Naruto climb off of his lap only to scramble up into the chair that Kakashi’s too small to completely fill. Kakashi can only ruffle the boy’s hair after the smile he’s presented with. Maybe… Maybe this _will_ be a good thing. If this boy is his betrothed, Kakashi will have every reason to stay by his side, to keep him safe, for the rest of his life. “Okay, sensei. But if Naruto decides that he doesn’t want to go through with the marriage when he comes of age, I will concede to his wishes.”

The look on the Hokage’s face tells Kakashi that his sensei doubts it will come to that.

/

Kakashi leaves a water clone in his place, stationing himself out of sight in the tree line. It occurs to him far too late that Naruto won’t understand that the Kakashi in the line of fire is not the real one. Too late, because the other jonin he’s training with lets off a fire release jutsu without realizing that Naruto, having _begged_ to spend the day with Kakashi, is going to head straight toward the attack out of concern.

He moves, shielding Naruto from the attack, only standing when the water clone has dispelled and the flames have dispersed. “I’m sorry, Kakashi. I didn’t realize he would run onto the field.”

Kakashi waves away the concern. “That’s my fault, Kyo-san. I shouldn’t have used a clone, he doesn’t know how to tell the difference. Perhaps we should end the spar here, though.” He resolutely ignores the way Naruto is staring at him with wide eyes, hands fisting in the fabric of Kakashi’s vest. That moment before he reached Naruto replays in his mind, his little companion rushing toward Kakashi’s clone, directly into the line of fire--literally. If Kakashi had been just a moment later, the child would be severely burned, possibly in critical condition.

 _Never again_.

Never again will he be a source of worry for this child. Never again will his choices put Naruto in danger. Above all, Naruto must be convinced that running onto a training field is _not okay_.

“Naruto.” With the other jonin gone, Kakashi sits on the grass in order to be a little closer to Naruto’s level, and immediately, Naruto climbs into his lap, but he hasn’t taken his eyes off of Kakashi this entire time. “Naruto,” he repeats, “you must promise me something.”

“Kashi…” The boy’s eyes are filled with tears and he drops his head, leaning into Kakashi’s chest. “Hurt you?”

“No, Kyo-san wasn’t really going to hurt me. Naruto, look at me.” He sighs, resting his hand on top of the child’s head, waiting for him to look before he continues. “You must promise me you will _never_ run toward a fight, okay? Not until you’re a ninja like me. You really could have been hurt today.”

“But…” He growls, frustrated, and scrubs some of his tears away with his arm. “Hurt you!”

And then small fingers brush against a cut on Kakashi’s cheek, coming away spotted with blood.

_He’s never seen me hurt before._

_He really, really cares. He’s_ three _, how did he even notice…? I didn’t even realize I’d been cut._

Something warm bubbles up in his chest, but he doesn’t laugh, even though he wants to. He really doesn’t need to upset Naruto any further, and if he takes the boy back to his parents like this, Kushina will have his head.

“Maa, Naruto-chan, it’s just a little scratch. An accident. Kyo-san didn’t really mean to hurt me. It’ll be gone before you know it, okay? Do you promise you won’t run into fights?”

Slowly, ever so slowly, Naruto seems to comprehend what Kakashi is asking. He nods firmly, finally, and wipes the rest of his tears away.

“Say you promise, okay? I need you to say it.”

“I promise,” Naruto tells him determinedly. And then he gives Kakashi the biggest smile he’s ever seen.

/

“Naruto-chan, I’ll only be gone for a few days,” Kakashi tries, but the three year old has a death grip on the jonin’s pantleg and it doesn’t look like he’ll be letting go anytime soon.

Kushina can only smile.

When Minato had first approached her with ideas of an arranged marriage, she had been, in a word, irate. Her son had only been two years old at the time, and her husband had wanted to _marry him off_?!

But Minato had let her think on it, and once she cooled off, she was able to understand the points he was trying to make. _Naruto trusts him, Kushina. And Kakashi has opened up so much since he started watching over him. They’re good for each other._

 _I want to know that somebody will be there for him if anything ever happens to us_.

It hadn’t taken much after that, really. She had invited Kakashi to dinner for the thousandth time and watched her toddler interact with him, dumbfounded. Dumbfounded, because the boy who’d been such a mystery, who’d spent so many nights at their dinner table without uttering more than a few sentences (about _work_ ), the boy who’d been so closed off for so long was listening attentively while her little son chattered on about everything that caught his interest throughout the day. Sakumo’s son didn’t make excuses to leave when he felt like he was receiving too much affection, but rather let Naruto climb all over him, let Naruto go through his utility pouch and the pockets of his vest, let Naruto invade his personal space more than any single person has been allowed to since his father’s death.

Naruto is good for him, she realizes. And Kakashi, in turn, is good for Naruto. Her little boy, who hides behind his parents no matter how many times he’s met somebody, is so utterly distracted by Kakashi that he forgets how shy he is. Kakashi makes her son smile more than _anyone_ . He makes her son feel _safe_ . And _happy_. All she’s ever wanted is for her son to be cheerful and kind.

“Don’t go!”

Brought back to the present, Kushina starts forward when Naruto cries out, but Kakashi is closer, and faster, and lifts him into his arms, nuzzling Naruto’s hair. “Naruto-chan, if you don’t let me go, how am I supposed to pay rent? I have to work.” He crouches back down, setting Naruto on his feet. “I’ll be back in five days, no more. Okay? If you’re going to be a ninja one day, you have to get strong, too. So this is your mission: you have to let me go for five days, and then I’ll be back here with you.”

“But not hurt!” Naruto answers, doing his impression of standing tall. It would be a lot more effective if he wasn’t three years old. It only makes him that much cuter.

She thinks that Kakashi smiles. “You drive a hard bargain, Naruto-chan, but okay. Five days, unhurt. Will you let me go, now?”

Naruto hesitates, but eventually nods, though he darts forward and presses their foreheads together before he backs away. Minato’s youngest student acts as if this is completely normal before nodding at her and slipping out through the back door.

Three days later, Kushina sits on a picnic blanket with Naruto in her lap, watching while her husband trains with Obito and Rin. Naruto isn’t really _shy_ with either of them, not anymore, but when he’s around most people, he’s so quiet and unsure of himself that it makes her heart ache. What is it that makes him so timid around others? She had never imagined that their son would be so bashful, not in a million years.

_But even when he’s hiding, he still wears a smile for every new person that enters into his orbit._

“Good, Rin! Don’t let your guard down, there’s still--” Minato cuts off when Obito sneaks up behind him, but when he strikes, the clone dissolves in a puff of smoke and Naruto sits up in her arms, enraptured.

“Eh?”

Before she can give him an explanation, an ANBU lands beside the blanket she’s seated on, facing Minato and his students. “Hokage-sama, there’s been an incident.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....
> 
> so
> 
> how about that cliffhanger? :DD


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi's in the hospital and Naruto isn't coping well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eheheheh... i'm back! i'm not very good with cliffhangers, and i guess i'm not very patient when it comes to waiting. i'm not even able to make myself wait to post!
> 
> please enjoy!

Naruto swings his legs, arms wrapped around himself in an attempt to keep himself from crying again. Big boys don’t cry. Or at least, if they do, they aren’t loud about it.

Besides, crying isn’t gonna make Kashi wake up any faster.

_“He collapsed outside the gates. He’s covered in blood, but it isn’t all his. The medics are looking at him now to assess the damage.”_

He had begged and pleaded, but he wasn’t allowed to see Kashi until the sun had already set. His mom had sat with him in the waiting room, humming one of the lullabies that he’s had memorized since before he can remember. It had helped, for a while, but he just kept picturing his Kashi covered in sticky red, barely breathing.

Maybe if he hadn’t begged him not to leave, he wouldn’t have rushed his job. Maybe, just maybe, Kashi would still be okay.

_Sorry, Kashi, sorry._

Naruto sniffles, but he won’t let himself look away. Is this what being a ninja means?

_There’s been an incident,_ the masked man had said. His mask was shaped like some sort of cat, but Naruto was too busy listening to what had happened to try and figure it out.

He’s not so sure he understands, exactly, just that the bad guys heard about their mission and set up an ambush. He doesn’t know what an _ambush_ is, but it must not be good because he wasn’t even sure Kashi was breathing when his mom finally brought him in to see him.

“Why... are you... crying?”

All of the air rushes out of his lungs.

“Kashi?”

Kashi reaches up with the arm that doesn’t have tubes sticking out of it, rubbing his eyes. “Naruto-chan..., are you... okay?” He shifts, eyes finding the clock hanging above the door. “Hey..., it’s the middle of the night..., what are you doing out of bed?”

He chokes on a sob, but he doesn’t move any closer, even though he wants to. “S-sorry, Kashi.” He shakes his head, trying to stop crying. “S’all my fault.”

“Naruto…” Kakashi pauses, and then a hand ruffles his hair. Naruto gasps, lifting his eyes to find that Kakashi is now sitting up. “Why are you sorry? Did something happen while I was gone?”

“Y-you got hurted, Kashi.” He rubs his eyes. “An’ if I… If I hadn’t’a asked… then...”

Kakashi seems to understand what Naruto doesn’t know how to explain, because he reaches for Naruto, pulling him onto the hospital bed and into his arms. “Hush, Naruto-chan. It isn’t your fault, okay? We were given bad information, that’s all.”

He wants to argue, to tell Kakashi that he must be bad luck, but these arms are warm and safe, and he’s been awake longer than he ever has before, so the moment he’s comfortable, Naruto begins to drift off.

_Maybe I can make him feel better, too_ , he thinks as he falls asleep. He doesn’t notice the drain on his chakra as he subconsciously heals his most precious person, but the jonin that’s holding him feels the ache of his wounds start to recede and stares at the boy in wonder.

/

Kakashi looks up from the mop of blond hair in front of him when the door to his hospital room opens, hoping that it’s not another nurse, hoping Sensei has finally realized that his son isn’t in bed.

It’s Kushina who enters, though, and she smiles when she sees he’s awake. “How are you feeling, Kakashi? Naruto refused to leave until you woke up, not even for his father.”

“Kushina-sama…, I think… Naruto may have sped up my healing?” And then what she said hits him. “Wait, how long has he been here?”

She glances up at the clock. “Since noon, yesterday. Right after Leopard came to get Minato. We stayed in the waiting room until the nurse came to let us know you would pull through, and then he demanded to see for himself.” Kushina crosses to the chair Naruto had been occupying only two hours ago. “Now, what’s this about Naruto healing you?”

Kakashi tells her about waking up, wondering why Naruto wasn’t in bed. He lets her know that his little companion had blamed himself for Kakashi’s injuries, and then explains how he’d begun to feel better the moment Naruto fell asleep in his arms.

And she smiles. “He was very worried about you,” she tells him. “If his chakra somehow responded to that, perhaps subconsciously, then I suppose he could have healed you a bit.”

“A bit?” He quirks an eyebrow at her and shifts his hold on the child to reveal the bandages on his shoulder. He tears them off to reveal tender scars, the recently healed wounds still pink with new flesh. “This isn’t just a bit, Kushina-sama. This boy… is a miracle.”

/

_“Any sign of him?”_

Kakashi groans, glancing up and down the street below of him before leaping to the next one. _Why, oh why, did Sensei ask Uchiha Obito to watch Naruto while I was away? Sure, he’s come a long way, but he has some_ serious _ADHD._ “Not yet.”

_“No, Minato-sama,”_ comes another voice that Kakashi only vaguely recognizes. He isn’t all that concerned with the others participating in the ‘Naruto has wandered off’ search party, anyway, he just wants to find Naruto. Whatever it takes.

Surely he couldn’t have gotten _that_ far, right? Surely he’s only followed another butterfly? Or a bird? Or a toad? Naruto loves animals, so _surely he’s just evading them by accident, right?_

Surely nothing bad has happened to him…, right?

“I can’t pick up his trail,” he says into the mouthpiece. “The ones I’m finding are all at least a day old.”

_Where did you go, little fiance?_

/

When Minato had rolled out of bed this morning, still tired from his late night at the office, but aware that he had meetings all morning, he hadn’t expected things to turn out this way. He hadn’t expected Obito’s first baby-sitting experience outside of Fugaku’s first born to become a man-hunt for his son, nor had he expected Kakashi to return from his mission early and dive right into the search.

He absolutely didn’t expect Kakashi’s lack of hostility toward his teammate for _losing_ Naruto. He’d probably be a little more relaxed if Kakashi _was_ upset with Obito.

_What is this feeling of dread? I’ve never experienced this before…_

Minato pauses at the edge of the Hospital’s roof, looking toward the private training ground reserved for Kushina--he knows she’s been trying to rebuild her control, but it hasn’t been easy since Naruto’s birth. She’d been headed to the training ground after breakfast, which was the entire reason Obito was watching Naruto.

_Kushina…_

“We need to find Naruto _now_.”

_“What’s wrong, Sensei?”_ Kakashi asks immediately, probably catching the sharp edge in his voice.

“Something heavy in the air. Do you feel it?”

_Let’s just hope we find Naruto before_ that thing _does._

/

A man in his late forties crouches in an alley, pulling his mask off and giving the child across from him a small smile. “Hello, Naruto-chan.”

The boy grins, blue eyes bright, recognition and joy fighting for dominance over his expression. “Storm! Storm coming!”

_He knows my face. I suppose it hasn’t changed much._

“Yes, I know you like storms, don’t you?” he asks, and the four year old nods, inching closer. “Well, if you want, I’ll watch the storm with you, but we have to go somewhere else, okay?”

Naruto smiles again, coming close enough to be lifted up. The man ruffles his hair and heads southwest, toward one of the biggest storms Konoha has ever witnessed.

_I’m sorry, Naruto. But this must be done. Even if it means I’m breaking the promise I made myself all those years ago. I think you’ll accept it, in the long run. Maybe you’ll even forgive me._

_I hope you can forgive me._

/

All movement in the village seems to stop. To the south, above the treeline, Kakashi can make out the head of a beast, long ears like a rabbit, eyes glowing red with power. If he didn’t know it was impossible, he would swear that his stomach was turning inside out.

_Where the hell is Naruto?_

“Sensei!” he grits out into the mouthpiece, frozen to the spot.

_“Find Naruto, Kakashi. Please find him.”_ The connection cuts off loudly, leaving Kakashi’s left ear ringing, but he just tosses the device aside, throwing himself back into his search.

The beast lets out an enraged growl. Kakashi doesn’t look back.

_I have to find him._

Adrenaline fills his veins, giving him another boost of energy. He’s going to find his little fiance, he has no choice.

_I wonder if he’s afraid. Knowing him, probably not._

/

As the silence settles in the village at his back, the man tightens his grip on the boy sleeping in his arms. Maybe it hadn’t been wise to seal the entire nine-tailed fox inside Naruto, but if anybody is strong enough to overcome the fox, strong enough to befriend it, it’s this boy.

He wishes he could stay beyond a year, but he knows his life is already coming to an end. The travel to get here had taken a lot out of him, and using what was left of his chakra to seal the demon inside of Naruto had just about done him in. He’s surprised he’s even able to walk right now.

He can stay for awhile. Long enough to teach Naruto how to survive where he’s taking him. Long enough to teach him how to talk to the thing he’s housing, long enough to see a few more smiles from him.

Long enough to convince him not to go back until he’s absolutely certain he has control over this power.

The people will mourn him, but at least this time, he’s _alive_. At least, this time, he didn’t get killed in the panic and confusion of the fox’s escape. At least this time, Kushina and Minato are alive.

_Not a single casualty._

“I promise you,” he whispers against Naruto’s temple, “that I will teach you everything you need to know to make it without me by the time I have to go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um...
> 
> i'm sorry?
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> (i'm not, though)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi has a conversation with Minato, Naruto has a conversation with a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idon'tknowhowtostopi'msorry
> 
> ahem. um. hello!
> 
> (i act as if i'm not spam-posting the first several chapters...)
> 
> please enjoy!

Naruto disappeared on a Tuesday.

Kakashi stares at the blank walls of his tiny apartment and wonders just when everything went to shit. He’d taken that mission to the Land of Tea for a _short reprieve_ of those blue eyes, of being wrapped around Naruto’s finger. Just a few days to himself, that’s all, and yet…

Two days in, he’d been over his freedom. It was a simple mission that needn’t be rushed, but Kakashi found himself itching to be back in Konohagakure, back where the little blond was always in reach, was always ready to be held by him, was always ready to steal his attention. He’d missed Naruto more than he remembers ever missing anything before, so he’d hurried through his tasks (still completed them to perfection, of course) and got home as fast as possible.

And came home to find that while he was gone, Minato-sensei had entrusted Naruto into Obito’s care for a few hours. Obito, who has a short attention span and isn’t used to watching over somebody as slippery as Naruto.

But he can’t find it in himself to blame his… friend? He can’t, because _Kakashi_ is the one who’d left the village to get away from Naruto, who was precious to him, who deserved every ounce of attention Kakashi had. No, it’s not Obito’s fault that Naruto disappeared. After all, Naruto likes to wander, and it only takes him a moment to escape the confines of Minato-sensei’s home. He’s done it enough times that Kakashi just expects it.

But Naruto disappeared on a Tuesday, and Kakashi looked for three days straight, looked until he passed out from chakra exhaustion and lack of sleep, searched until he literally could not. The Nine-Tailed Fox had been dealt with, Minato-sensei told him when he woke, and then went on to tell him that _Kushina_ had been the fox’s jailer. _Kushina Uzumaki_ , who likes ramen and loves knitting (despite being god awful at it).

But as shocked as he was, it actually explained things, like how she rarely suffered from chakra exhaustion, and how Naruto was born with those strange markings on his cheeks ( _like whiskers,_ his mind has whispered more than once).

It all comes down to this: Kakashi is the person that Naruto trusts most outside of his parents, and Kakashi, for all of his talents, can’t even save his most precious person. He has _no idea_ where the little son of his sensei has disappeared to, but he does know this: Naruto is no longer inside the village. He’s not in the woods surrounding the village. And now, six days after his disappearance, Naruto Namikaze, son of the Yondaime Hokage, could be anywhere.

How can he ever face them again? How can he look Minato and Kushina in the eyes, knowing he failed them? How can he look his teammates in the eyes, knowing that he couldn’t even protect the person who means more to him than life itself? How will they ever trust him to watch their backs when he couldn’t even locate the boy who shines brighter than the sun itself?

How can he live with himself unless he dedicates all of his energy to finding the boy he lost?

Kakashi stands, legs still shaking from the complete and utter exhaustion of his chakra days before. He knows where to find his sensei and Kushina, knows because Naruto’s mother has been unwell since the fox escaped, and from what he understands, she will never be at full capacity again.

He doesn’t think they will turn him away, though, despite his utter failure. Minato-sensei has always been too kind to him, and Kushina even more. They trusted him and he failed.

But he will make it up to them if it’s the last thing he ever does. He will, because he won’t be able to live with himself if he can’t find Naruto.

The streets are quiet this early in the morning. There’s still dew on the grass and the sun isn’t quite risen, but he needs to tell them, he wants to offer them some peace of mind, even if it’s just a little.

Everyone is mourning.

Everybody thinks he died in the panic. Even Obito and Rin believe Naruto was so frightened when the fox escaped that he fled the village, that something or someone got to him either in the forest or outside the gates. Maybe even the fox ate him.

Kakashi knows better. Naruto is shy, but animals, even ones as big and hateful as the demon fox, do not scare him. No, if he’s not just lost outside of the village, _somebody has taken him_ , and Kakashi will die a thousand deaths before he stops searching. If he ever stops searching.

He reaches the door to Kushina’s hospital room through sheer determination. His body wasn’t ready for the strain he’s put on it, but he has to do this. He has to make this promise, and he can’t afford to waste time on a proper recovery because by then it will carry no meaning.

“Kakashi.” The door clicks shut. Sensei stands in front of him with haunted eyes and a sad look on his face. “You should be resting. Did you walk all the way here?”

“Sensei, I’m--”

“Kakashi… Don’t apologize.” Minato crouches, resting one hand on Kakashi’s shoulder. “It isn’t your fault, okay? I have… I have a lot of enemies, and the circumstances were all too easy to be taken advantage of.”

“I should have been here,” he says, trying to make Minato understand.

The Hokage shakes his head. “You were on a mission. You even got back _early._ What happened happened, and--”

“And I’m not going to stop looking,” Kakashi interrupts. “He’s alive out there, sensei. I will find him, I swear to you. If it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to bring Naruto home. I don’t care what anybody thinks, _he’s not dead_.”

The silence between them is almost palpable.

“I don’t think he’s dead either,” his sensei finally replies.

Something heavy breaks away from Kakashi’s chest, and now it’s a little easier to breathe, except for some reason he’s hyperventilating, and--

Hot tears pool in his vision, making Sensei’s face blurry, and then he’s being hugged and he’d forgotten how nice it was to be cared for, but _hedoesntdeservethis--_

(Kakashi falls apart right there in that hallway, but Minato-sensei is pretty good at putting people back together. It only serves to solidify his decision--he _will_ find Naruto, no matter what.)

/

On the first anniversary of Naruto’s disappearance (and Kushina’s declining health), Kakashi happens to be out of the village on an A-ranked mission in Kirigakure to deal with one of Konoha’s missing-nin--not a very powerful one, but one who knew enough to steal a valuable scroll from the Hokage’s personal library. He has already dealt with the perpetrator when the date finally occurs to him.

He has to stop his steady pace back home and sit against a tree with his head between his knees in the hopes that he won’t throw up the ration bar he’d choked down for breakfast. _One year._ It’s been one year, and Kakashi hasn’t seen hide nor hair of Sensei’s son. One year and he hasn’t gotten a single whiff of the boy’s scent. And the longer it takes to find him, the more likely Kakashi never will, no matter how hard he looks.

Three hundred and sixty-five days. Fifty-two weeks. Twelve months.

And Naruto is _gonegonegone_.

_Where are you, Naruto-chan? Are you safe? Are you healthy? Can you see the sky?_

His chest constricts and hot tears flow down his cheeks, soaking his mask and leaving salty trails in the limited amount of visible skin on his face.

_Father_

_If you’ve been watching over me… I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the thing I became. I’m sorry for thinking badly of you, and for disappointing you… I’m sorry that I couldn’t make you smile. But if you can bring yourself to do one last thing for me…_

_Watch over him._

Kakashi rises to his feet, taking a deep breath in. The dead can’t do his work for him, and so he must be stronger, better. He _will_ find Naruto. He has to believe he will, for why else is he even living? Naruto, whose soul is so bright, so pure, so beautiful, is not lost to him forever.

Whatever is happening to him, whatever he’s going through, Kakashi will track him down.

It takes him half a day longer to get home than he’d anticipated, but Kakashi realizes he hasn’t truly felt at home here since Naruto’s disappearance. Recognizing the thing inside of him that hasn’t felt right since then feels more like a kunai to the gut than an awareness he’s only now reaching.

_Everything has been wrong since that day._

Why had losing Naruto turned his whole world upside down?

_Two years dedicated to his happiness is why. Two years making him smile, two years smiling because of him._

_I was_ happy _._

The thought just about breaks him.

He was happy. Watching over Naruto, caring for him, had made him _happy_ . Had brought him _joy_.

He can hardly stand to look his Hokage in the eye whilst giving his report.

“Kakashi,” Minato says softly, voice laced with concern and understanding.

“Yes, Hokage-sama?” He pointedly keeps his eyes on the wall just behind Minato’s left shoulder.

“I want…” He clears his throat, sitting up straighter. “You are now on leave for the next three weeks. You are not to take any missions or cover any shifts. Starting now, until midnight on the twenty-seventh, you are released from active duty. If I hear even a _suspicion_ that you are not resting, I will send Maito Gai to keep you from working using any means necessary, do I make myself clear?”

Kakashi breathes out the affirmative. He is dismissed. He breaks down the second he slips through the window of his apartment.

_I’m sorry I failed you, sensei._

/

Three months after Naruto turns five, the bigger Kashi leaves him. He’s not _Naruto’s_ Kashi, not exactly, but Naruto is loved by him--at least he thinks so--and when he leaves, it _hurts_.

But he’s a big boy now, and he promised Kashi Two that he would take care of himself. He promised, because Kashi Two had looked so sad that he had to go. He’d been getting sicker every day, always coughing, always pale. Naruto won’t really be surprised if the man has stopped breathing before he ever reaches his home, wherever that is.

Does he even have a home?

Or had his home been here, with Naruto, in the middle of the darkest, angriest forest in the Land of Fire? That is how it seemed. Any time they had to leave for supplies, the man had looked uncomfortable--it was only when they were alone, with only the monsters around them, that he looked even a little bit peaceful.

But he’d taught Naruto how to survive without him, had made him understand from the beginning that Kashi Two would not be able to stay. He looked so sad, the first time he said it. Like he wanted more than anything to stay with Naruto.

But then he’d promised Naruto, with a smile, that Naruto would never _truly_ be alone.

**Yes, yes, you miss the time traveler, I get it.**

Naruto doesn’t know how he feels about the kitsune in his belly. He knows, on a surface level, why the fox lives inside him, but as for truly understanding what price he’s paying… Well, Kashi Two had said it was a lifetime commitment, and had commented no further.

Later, though, he’d learned that Kashi Two had made a choice in a dire situation, and Naruto doesn’t want that choice to be for nothing. So he’ll live with the fox, and he won’t curse the man who gave it to him. After all, he loves Kashi, no matter how old he is, or what year he’s apparently from, (or how empty he looks).

_Say, Mister Fox sir, how come you sound so angry?_

He’s really glad that Kashi Two showed him how to talk to the dang thing, though. Otherwise, he’d be _really_ lonely out here, with only the forest as company.

**Brat, you shouldn't ask questions if you can't comprehend the answers. You humans are all the same.**

He feels the first drop of rain on the tip of his nose, followed by a few more on his head and his shoulders, and then suddenly it’s pouring, and he’s running, running toward the cave that Kashi Two had turned into a home for him right after they came to the forest. It’s big and quiet, but it protects him when he’s resting and shelters him from the weather.

_Ne, Mister Kitsune, do you have a name?_

A growl doesn’t so much fill his ears as it echoes throughout his head, like when one of his mother’s lullabies starts to play on repeat, the memories of months and months ago still fresh enough to fall back on.

**Why?**

_Do you want me to keep calling you “Mister Kitsune”?_

The fox, who has _way_ too many tails, stays silent for so long that he almost thinks he’s gone to sleep, but just before Naruto devotes his mind to others tasks, it speaks again, voice steady but somehow more gentle.

**You may call me Kurama. I am the Nine-Tails, the eldest of the Tailed Beasts, the most intelligent of my kind. I am power, I am Death.**

_You talk a lot._

The fox slams against its metaphorical cage, but Naruto was forced to sit and learn everything Kashi Two could teach him about the seal and his inner cage, the sewer of his mind.

He’s pretty sure he won’t understand most of it until he’s older, but he’s still glad that Kashi Two tried to teach him something about the big fuzzball.

He’s equally glad that the _Kyuubi no Kitsune_ isn’t the only thing that Kashi Two decided he needed to know about, and he actually does understand the other things, like walking up trees and walking on water, and Naruto’s _personal_ favorite: ninja weapons!

How else is he supposed to eat if he doesn’t know how to hunt?

Sure, Kashi Two had drilled him, mercilessly, until he got all of these things right, but after seeing his own Kashi train for hours on end, Before™, even though he could already _do_ all of the things Kashi Two was teaching Naruto, he decided these things _must_ be important.

**You seem to be running out of supplies.**

Naruto stares, disgruntled, at the lack of necessities. It seems in the week since Kashi Two left, he’s been more absent-minded. Kashi Two had been good about reminding him when he needed certain things, or when he needed to take his clothes to the nearby creek and wash them out, or when it was a good time to dig a new hole for his waste.

He sighs. _So I gotta go to one of the smaller villages, right? Kashi Two said I can’t show my face at home until it’s absolutely necessary, and I don’t think he meant for things like toilet paper and food that doesn’t go bad._

The fox-- _Kurama_ \--only rumbles in response, stretching out on the floor of his cage.

Well. That’s that, then.

Moments later, wrapped in a black hood and cloak that’s just a little too big, Naruto hurls himself into one of the trees outside his cave, aiming North. Kashi Two had been very adamant that Naruto learn which direction led where, and how to keep track of them while moving. He’d been adamant that Naruto learn a lot of things.

It didn’t turn out to be as hard as he would’ve thought, either, but a part of him thinks that’s because it was someone smart like Kashi teaching him.

He’s _really_ glad Kashi Two made him learn how to read, otherwise he’d have _lots_ of trouble finding the right buildings to buy the stuff he needs.

He leaps from tree to tree, reminding himself not to get too carried away. He’s not wandering out of the forest for fun, after all. He can’t let himself get caught, or who _knows_ what’ll happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry for all of the kakashi angst!!!!! but it's just so EASY TO WRITE :'''(
> 
> also, i understand that naruto may seem a little OOC in this, but in my opinion, naruto would have been more focused and less, well, dumb, if he had had parents around to help direct his energy. not only that, but imagine having a middle-aged kakashi as your devoted, personal tutor for a year long? i'm pretty sure i'd learn a heck of a lot of stuff in that situation.
> 
> and of course, if you have any questions or if anything is unclear, please ask! i don't bite!
> 
> (or if you wanna be friends, i'm on tumblr under the same name!)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nightmare, a stabbing, a rescue, and a sannin!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is where we start time-skipping like crazy! i know, i know, why all the time skips?!
> 
> but i'm just as eager to get to the reunion as you are!
> 
> (well. the reunion's not for awhile, anyway, but we ARE getting closer!)
> 
> enjoy!

_Kakashi runs, every step forward as if he’s running through water, every intake of breath a weight on his chest, but he can’t stop because he’s_ so close _. His surroundings seem to shift and change with every little turn, the ground under his feet too soft to be pavement, the sky above blood red._

_Something calls out to him, it’s voice broken and yet somehow lyrical._

_He reaches up to wipe at the sweat on his temple, but his hand comes away dripping rubies, and he’s no longer running but crawling, and the ground is swallowing him hole while something deathly pale and smelling of rot bears down on him and_

Kakashi wakes, a scream dying on his lips. He is not alone.

“Hokage-sama sent me to check on you.”

Kakashi sighs, rubbing a hand over his eyes. “At least he didn’t send Gai.”

Obito leans back, giving him room to sit up, and Kakashi realizes he fell asleep on top of his blankets. Rin is standing in the doorway of his bedroom, eyes sad. “You’re coming to breakfast with us. You can run away if you want, but then Minato-sensei really _will_ send Gai to find you.”

He goes to breakfast with them. Things haven’t exactly been _great_ between the three of them, he knows they’re mad at him for being distant, but they still work well together, and he realizes now that whatever apprehension he held for them in the beginning--it’s gone. These are his teammates, his comrades, and Kakashi would give his life for them. Even if it meant never being able to find Naruto.

“Do you really think he’s still alive?” Obito asks when their food is gone and Rin has left for the hospital.

He meets Obito’s gaze, and for the first time he can see his _hope_ reflected there. And he can hear it in Obito’s voice.

“I think so.” He cocks his head. “Sensei does, too.”

The Uchiha nods, rising from his seat. “Kakashi…, I’m sorry that I…”

“It isn’t your fault.” They walk side by side, no destination in mind. It’s a beautiful day, Kakashi can at least appreciate the warmth of the sun on his skin, and the scent of fresh cut grass. “You were used to watching Mikoto-san’s first born, right? Itachi is _extremely_ well-behaved, so you couldn’t have known how slippery…”

“Still…” Obito pauses in the middle of the street, glancing at Kakashi again. “In a way, looking out for him changed you. We all noticed it. And I don’t want you to be the person you used to, now that he’s not here.”

He can understand Obito’s reasoning, he really can, so he doesn’t let the other boy’s words bother him. After all, before Naruto, Kakashi thinks he might have even been well on his way to being heartless, if he wasn’t there already.

“Obito…” Kakashi smiles with his eyes, slipping his hands into his pockets. “You and Rin are my teammates, but more than that, you’re my friends. And I will _never_ put your lives at risk for the sake of a mission. I used to think that rules were more important, but the truth is… I was afraid. And then Naruto changed everything I thought I knew.” He clears his throat, looking down. “That’s why… I can’t give up on finding him. He is my most precious person, and no body has been recovered, no word has been spread of his death. I _have_ to find him.”

Obito smiles.

“Then I guess we’ll just have to help you look.”

/

_Why is it that every time I need to buy something, somebody is getting stabbed in the alley out back?_

**I have said it before and I’ll say it again: humans are selfish creatures.**

Naruto rolls his eyes, finishing the knot on the rope he’d stolen from the criminal’s own coat. “Alright, buddy.” He turns toward the person who was being stabbed, crouching to get a better look at the wound.

“Who are you?” the victim grits out through bloodstained teeth, and Naruto can just barely stop himself from flinching.

_Kashi._

“A friend.” _Hey, Kurama, will you help me use that cool trick you told me about on him?_

The Kyuubi sighs, annoyed, but he doesn’t protest.

With Kurama’s help, Naruto presses his hands as gently as he can against Kashi’s wounds, mumbling an apology at the gasp of pain. When he’s satisfied, he pulls away, pretending his hands aren’t covered in the blood of somebody he cares about, of somebody who can’t know who he is.

Kashi only blinks at him, like he doesn’t know what to say.

Naruto’s just glad that his favorite person can’t see his face for the hood of his cloak.

/

_“-bi-nii?”_

Awareness creeps through his mind like fog, slowly filling his senses with scent (rain, earth, blood), and touch (smooth rock above, soft dirt below, warm hand on his arm), and sound (the rain, the wind, _whose voice is that…?_ ), and finally _sight_. But all he can see is stone.

That’s right. Kakashi has his left eye. A gift.

 _“Obi-nii! Wake up,_ wake up _!”_

He’s surprised he has enough of a voice to groan. Persistent hands wrap around his arm, but his body doesn’t budge and the force only causes more blood to seep out of the wounds on his right side.

The person those hands must be attached to lets out an enraged growl. _“You are not dying here!”_

And then it hits him. That is the voice of a _child_. _Obi-nii_ , he had said.

_How long have I been lying here...? How am I not dead?_

Another growl to his left, and then the boulder is gone and everything still hurts but _finally he can see again_.

“Can you hear me?”

Obito blinks up at the face above him. “Na...ruto?”

_Naruto…?_

The child smiles, bright as a summer day. “Obi-nii! For a minute, I thought you really _were_ dead!”

It only takes a moment for his mind to stop swimming in joy and surprise and relief, for reality to come crashing down when he remembers where he is and why he’s in pain, and then the panic sets in. “Naruto, _what are you doing here_?! We’re in the middle of a _war_! How did you--”

Blue eyes flash red, but only for a moment. Obito has only seen those eyes once in his life, and the fear immediately quiets him.

Naruto doesn’t seem to notice. “Look, I have to make you better or I’ll never get you out of here. Kashi and Tou-chan and Rin-nee already think you’re dead!” And then he rests a hand on the crushed side of Obito’s face.

Nothing is making any sense. For one thing, he had been _positive_ that he would be dead by the time his team left. He’d _willingly_ _given away his sharingan_ in the hopes that it would help Kakashi find Naruto--Naruto, who is _healing Obito like it’s nothing_. The kid is _seven_.

He’s been missing for nearly three years already, and yet he looks perfectly healthy, not a scratch on him.

After what seems like hours but is really only a little over thirty minutes, Naruto helps Obito sit up, frowning while he studies his face. “Well, you don’t _look_ healed, exactly, but Kurama says there’s nothing more we can do.” He pokes at Obito’s left eye socket, though it’s only tender after the care provided by the child kneeling beside him. “What happened to it?”

Obito hums. “Kakashi lost one of his eyes to protect me,” he answers gently, “so I gave him one of mine.”

The boy leans back, looking startled. And then he smiles. “Kashi’s okay, then?”

He can only nod, questions piling up in his mind. And the most pressing one spills out of his mouth before he can stop it. “What happened to you, Naruto?”

/

Senju Tsunade is seated in the furthermost corner of the small tavern, the only location with a perfect view of each entrance. Not that she has cared all that much about anything other than gambling in the last six months, but she doesn’t have the heart to argue about it with anybody, and the only one who seems persistent is Dan’s little niece.

Well, not _little_ , but younger than Tsunade, at least.

“Tsunade-sama…”

She glances up from her drink at Shizune’s tone. “What’s wrong?”

“I came across an old acquaintance from home on my way to the Inn, and…”

“Shizune, clearly it’s important, so _spit it out_.”

“The demon fox escaped it’s jailer a few years ago. It disappeared before anybody got hurt, but even the Yondaime doesn’t know what happened to it.”

Tsunade isn’t stupid. She was a teenager when her grandmother brought Kushina Uzumaki to Konohagakure to become the jinchuuriki, and if the demon escaped, it can only mean bad things. “The people saw it?”

“Yes. From what I understand, it was only visible for ten minutes, at most. There weren’t any casualties.”

Tsunade hums. “And Kushina?”

“Lives. From what I understand, she’s frail and sickly. But that’s not the worst part, Tsunade-sama. The Yondaime and Kushina’s son Naruto disappeared before the Nine-Tails escaped.”

The son of the Yondaime… missing? “Surely they found him? Shizune?”

The girl only shakes her head.

Namikaze Naruto, son of the Yondaime. She’d visited Konoha once, to see the boy. He’d been shy, but he’d still smiled at her like she was his new best friend. His bashfulness had surprised her, considering his parents, but what had shocked Tsunade even more was Hatake Sakumo’s son. Apparently, he was the boy’s self-proclaimed protector, and the child _clung_ to him. Sakumo’s son had been the _opposite_ of affectionate since his father’s death. Even before. And yet, when Naruto had approached him, he welcomed the child with open arms and a smile--or, what she was forced to assume was a smile.

She wonders how the Hatake prodigy is faring, now.

“How could they not find that kid? He’s _shy_.”

“Apparently, he’s _fast_. I guess the whole village thinks he’s dead, but the Yondaime refuses to have a funeral unless they recover a body, and his wife is too weak to really argue about it. The two of them are split about his fate, though.”

She hums, staring blankly at the entrance for a moment longer than normal. “That Hatake…, isn’t he a tracker?”

“He apparently hasn’t stopped searching. Immediately after the child’s disappearance, he searched until he collapsed.” Shizune shifts. “Namikaze Minato is stepping down from Hokage on account of his wife’s condition. Sarutobi-sama is taking the seat until a suitable successor can be chosen.”

It all seems incredibly unfair. First, their missing child, followed by the Kyuubi’s escape, and Kushina’s illness, and now this? Something heavy weighs on her, and all she can think to do is throw back the rest of her drink and hope that, for whatever reason, things will work out.

“Shizune, keep an eye out. If we catch even a _glimpse_ of blond hair like Minato’s, it would be best to send word to him.”

“Yes, Tsunade-sama.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> granny tsunade!!!!!!! is anybody else excited?!
> 
> we'll be seeing her again, don't worry!
> 
> also, if anybody is confused about ages, let me know. i made an age chart to keep myself on task, i'm happy to share it if the need arises!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obito learns the truth, Minato is summoned by the Sandaime, Obito gets kidnapped (kinda), and the Sandaime has a meeting with a forest-dweller.
> 
> :)

Obi-nii looks different. Naruto knows it’s because he almost died, and because while Naruto healed his wounds, those scars are going to remain. He feels bad that he couldn’t help with Obi-nii’s eye, though.

“Will you talk to me now?”

And he won’t stop asking why Naruto disappeared! What will Obi-nii say when Naruto tells him that he’s carrying around a big old grumpy fox in his belly? What will he say when Naruto tells him that a Kashi from the future was the one who put it there?

He knows he’s going to have to tell him _something_ , but he’s been by himself so long that he’s not even sure how to tell the story so it makes sense!

“Naruto,” Obi-nii pauses, blinking at the cave that Naruto brought him to. “You live… in the Forest of Death? You’ve been here this _whole time_?”

He feels bad about that, too. It seems that people really miss him. He wonders if Kashi misses him.

“Well, I didn’t know what it’s called, but this is where I live, yeah. Obi-nii, I know you’re really confused but I’m not sure where to start.”

Eventually, when they’re tucked inside the cave that he’s slowly added to over the last couple of years, Naruto decides to talk. He clears his throat. “I don’t remember a whole lot from the very beginning. For some reason, I thought there was a storm coming, so I went to watch it, and then I heard people running so I wanted to get out of the way. That’s when he found me.”

Obi-nii frowns. “Who found you?”

He shifts, pulling his cloak off and tossing it across the bench he’d salvaged from the dump at the edge of his home village. “It was Kashi, but it wasn’t _our_ Kashi. He was older than you are, and he kept his left eye covered _all_ the time, and he was really sad. But it was definitely him.”

“Kakashi lost his left eye, that’s why I gave him mine.”

Naruto hums. “That’s probably why he had it covered. Anyway, he was sick, too. He found me, and he knew I liked storms and he promised he’d watch it with me, but I fell asleep before it happened, and when I woke up, we were here!”

He chews on his bottom lip, trying to think about whether he should explain Kurama.

“Why did he bring you here?”

“Well, he said… He said I had a lot to learn, and if I went home, he wouldn’t be able to teach me. A few days after we came here, he told me that the reason I missed the storm was because it wasn’t really a storm at all. He said that the Nine-Tails had escaped, and in order to save everybody, he had to seal it inside me. He said that where he came from, it escaped and everybody died… And I don’t want anybody to die! So I stayed here and he taught me how to talk to it, and he taught me a bunch of other stuff, too! And he said he could only stay with me for a year before he had to go home, so I’d better learn fast.”

A slow blink, and Obi-nii sighs. “Yeah, that sounds like something Kakashi would do.”

_I wonder if he’s okay._

“Obi-nii, are you gonna go home?”

He looks up, startled out of his thoughts. “Go home and tell them… what, exactly? There’s no way, Naruto, they’ll get suspicious, and put me through a psych evaluation, and when they realize I’m hiding something, they’ll get even _more_ suspicious. No, I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.”

Obi-nii’s gonna stay with him? Really?

“You mean… I won’t be by myself?”

**Isn’t this one of those Uchiha brats?**

_That’s not nice, Obi-nii’s a good boy!_

Kurama rumbles, stretching out his front legs. **Whatever. I don’t care either way.**

“Naruto? You went all distant there for a moment.” Obi-nii’s hand is warm on his shoulder, and Naruto smiles.

“Sorry, I was talking to the Kyuubi! I’ll have to work on splitting my attention, huh?” An idea strikes, pushing him to lean closer. “Obi-nii, do you think you could teach me how to be a better ninja? I work _really hard_ and I don’t have anything better to do anyway, and if you want, we could even go on missions together!”

Obi-nii stares at him for a moment, and then he smiles.

/

 _Why must you summon me so early in the morning? Today, of all days?_ Minato sighs, knocking on the door to his old office with what’s probably a very grim look on his face.

_“Enter.”_

“Hokage-sama.” He closes the door and steps forward.

“Ah, Minato, please come in. I know today of all days is hard for you, but… I’m afraid the matter at hand is something you will want to actively look into.” The Sandaime gestures for him to sit. “First of all, how is your wife?”

“Grieving,” he answers shortly, sitting in one of the chairs across the desk from his Hokage.

In hindsight, perhaps it would be more _in character_ for Kushina to have an attitude with Hiruzen-sama right now, but Minato’s just so _tired_ , and it’s…

_Naruto is eight years old today._

The Hokage clasps his hands together, chewing on the end of his pipe. “We’ve been receiving some strange reports, Minato.”

_Strange… reports?_

“May I ask who they’re from, Hokage-sama?”

The Sandaime hums, shuffling a stack of papers from the top of his desk. “The first came from an ANBU team on a mission in Iwagakure. The second from an informant in Amegakure. The third came from an intercepted message in the Land of Wolves. The fourth came from Jiraiya. And finally, the last came from an unknown party calling themselves our ally. The first four all mention a pair of shinobi taking missions that benefit Konohagakure, though neither of the shinobi wear our hitai-ate.”

“Why would outsiders take missions that benefit us unless they’re looking for us to repay the favor later?”

The Hokage smiles. “I don’t think that’s the case, Minato.” He slides a file across the desk. “The final report we received is in shorthand. _Our_ shorthand. This language isn’t known to many ninja inside the village, let alone any outside of it. These _allies_ must be our very own ninja. As for why they aren’t coming home…”

“Do you think… perhaps these ninja are two previously counted in our casualties from the war? Or our MIA?”

Hiruzen nods. “After all, only our most trusted shinobi know the ANBU shorthand. Either one of our ANBU taught these two, or one of them _was_ ANBU.”

“If they really _are_ Konoha shinobi, Hokage-sama…, _why_ haven’t they come home?”

Hiruzen really looks like he wishes he had an answer. “It could be any number of things, Minato, but for now… all we can do is wait and pray that they truly are working as our allies.”

/

Consciousness pulls at Obito despite his attempts to avoid it, his weakened body unable to withstand the blows it had taken. _Damn sannin_ , he grumbles internally, sighing when the prodding against his shoulder becomes too demanding to ignore. 

_Fuck me._ Why had he come to this stupid town, anyway? It isn’t like it will change anything.

“See, Shizune, the boy’s fine.”

“Tsunade-hime, _why_ on earth did you beat this boy up and bring him here?”

 _I would like to know the same thing_ . He reaches up to rub his eye, except that his limbs won’t comply because he’s _tied up and the old bag is really annoying, isn’t she?_ “Tsunade of the sannin,” he complains, squinting against the light of the hotel room he’s been tied up in. He finds that he’s sitting on a sturdy wooden chair, and both women are staring at him--one in surprise, the other in contempt. “Why did you kidnap me out of the grocery store?”

The girl with dark hair, he thinks her name is Shizune, throws her hands up. “ _Grocery store?!_ You kidnapped a random teenager from a _grocery store_?!”

“I may only be fifteen, but I can take care of myself!” he finds himself protesting, leaning back at Shizune’s glare.

“He has a weapons pouch, Shizune.”

“ _So_?”

The sannin sighs. “He looks like an Uchiha. Look closely.”

“I _am_ an Uchiha! What gives, lady? I didn’t do anything to you!”

“You look like an Uchiha who’s missing an eye. Why?”

“I gave it to a friend,” he answers, confused. _Jesus, am I being sold out right now? Fuck, but Tsunade hasn’t been back to Konoha since Naruto was still a toddler! Right? She wouldn’t recognize me from all the way back then, would she?_ “I’m sorry, have I committed some sort of crime or something, or are you just holding me against my will for fun?”

Finally, _finally_ , Tsunade seems to come to a decision about something, because she slightly relaxes her posture and gets to the point. “Were you sent here to follow us?”

Obito blinks. _Excuse me?_ “Follow--no, but I apparently have tremendously bad luck.”

“Are you an agent of Konoha?”

“Not anymore.”

She shares a look with Shizune. “A rogue?”

“No! I am loyal to Konohagakure, I just don’t work there anymore. I’m no more of a missing-nin than you are!”

“Come to think of it, Tsunade-sama,” Shizune steps forward, “this boy does look vaguely familiar…” She leans in, face scrunched up while she studies him, and he can see the exact moment the puzzle pieces click together in her eyes. “Obito! Your name’s Obito! You--weren’t you on Namikaze Minato’s genin team?”

He slumps, heaving a sigh. “Yes, but--”

“Why did you leave the village, then?” Tsunade demands, and Obito’s liking this woman less and less by the minute. _Jeez, lady, give a guy a break._

“During the war, I was trapped and fatally injured and my team was forced to leave me behind or they would have also been crushed. But somebody found me and saved my life, and I have since stayed by his side.” _Not only do I owe Naruto my life, but I also owe Sensei and Kakashi for not keeping a better eye on him in the first place. Hell, I suppose it was Kakashi that fooled me, but he was also, what, middle-aged? Damn, the guy was probably really fucking amazing by then, huh?_

The sudden return of limb yanks Obito out of his thoughts and he looks up at the women in surprise, rubbing at his freed wrists.

“Okay then, Obito, what business _do_ you have here?”

“I just wanted to check on Kakashi and Rin, I caught wind that they’d be passing through here.”

Shizune takes a step back. “They don’t know that you’re alive.”

“With all due respect, there’s only about two people in the world who could have healed my injuries, and neither of you are included in that list. I owe my loyalty not only to Konohagakure, but also to the one who saved me, and he’s not yet ready to reveal himself. We are allies to Konoha and its people, but if I tell my former teammates that I’m alive, they will expect a better explanation than the one I can currently give them.”

The slug sannin releases a heavy, weary sigh, shoulders slumped. “Very well. We will keep your secret for now, Uchiha Obito, but I want to know everything when the time comes.”

He grins at her.

/

Two hours after Minato takes his leave, Hiruzen steps out of his office, steps careful and sure. He only has one of his Guard with him, one of his most trusted agents, and the scroll he carries is one specially designed for this purpose, and this purpose alone.

His pace never changes as he makes his way to Training Ground 44, and his ANBU follows silently. It’s almost as if he’s alone.

Deer says nothing, but Hiruzen can feel his apprehension and curiosity leaking through, as Shikaku makes no effort to hide it during their walk. Hiruzen smiles.

“We have a guest in the training grounds, Deer. I received word from Hyuga Hizashi, who has taken to training in this particular forest quite often lately.”

It’s a well-known fact that the Nara are known for their intelligence, and Hiruzen will be forever grateful that they are loyal to the Hokage above the members of the council. “The ally you were telling Minato-sama about?” he asks.

The Hokage hums and comes to a stop in a small clearing not far from the cave Hizashi had informed him of. The small shape of a boy stands upside-down on a branch in front of them.

“Ne, jiji, how come you’re wearing that hat again?”

He can’t help but smile, knowing that his suspicions have been confirmed. There’s no doubt in his mind that the boy has revealed himself on purpose, because despite their efforts, not a single person that he’s spoken to about the reports has come to the same conclusion, and that can only mean one thing: Naruto has had a _damn_ good teacher.

“Naruto, I’ve brought you and your friend a gift.”

Naruto cocks his head. “Really? Obi-nii isn’t here right now, he went on a mission without me.” The pout he wears is really too adorable, and Hiruzen sighs.

 _What did he say?_ “ _Obi-nii_...--Obito? Uchiha Obito?” _That makes no sense… Obito wouldn’t have taken Naruto from himself… Now_ I’m _making no sense._

“Yeah! I followed Tou-chan’s team to that bridge and when they left Obi-nii behind, I dug him out and healed him up and he said he can’t go home because everyone already thinks he’s dead, so he said he’d stay here with me!” Naruto drops down to the ground, darting across the clearing, and Shikaku is frozen to the spot, makes no move to step between the boy and Hiruzen despite the fact that the child has been missing since he was four years old.

He doubts it matters, seeing as all Naruto does is hug him. “Ne, jiji, is everybody okay? Obi-nii wouldn’t tell me much, he looks sad every time I ask, so I try not to.”

Hiruzen stifles a sigh and ruffles the boy’s hair. “First of all, Naruto, happy belated birthday. You’re eight years old today, did you know that?”

Naruto beams at him. “Yeah! Kashi Two celebrated my fifth birthday with me before he left--”

“‘Kashi… Two’?” Deer mutters, though Naruto apparently hears him.

“ANBU-san! I’m sorry, I didn’t even say hi! How is Leopard-san?”

Deer clears his throat. “L-leopard is just fine, Naruto.”

Hiruzen hums, pulling the scroll out of his sleeve. “Do you know how to open a storage scroll, Naruto?”

The boy’s face lights up even more ( _how is that even possible?_ ) and he nods. “Yeah, I learned all kinds of stuff after I came out here!” He gingerly takes the proffered scroll and activates the release, pulling out two masks similar to Deer’s and another scroll. He looks up at Hiruzen with wide eyes. “We get _masks_?”

“If you’re sending us messages in ANBU shorthand, and completing missions that only ANBU are sent to complete, it is only fair that you receive ANBU masks and induction. These details are SS-rank, top secret even in _my_ circle, and the only person who knows outside of the three of us is Leopard.”

Deer shifts. If Hiruzen was less than Kage-level, he wouldn’t have noticed, and yet Naruto shifts to accommodate the action. He nods once. “Hokage-sama,” Naruto says, and his voice has taken on a completely new edge. “Thank you. We are working to achieve a goal that has been set by my previous companion, and I _will not_ fail.” Then he smiles. “After all, I promised him I would save everybody.” His gaze takes on a sad tinge. “I just wish I could have saved _him_.”

Apparently, Shikaku can no longer accept the mystery in front of him and takes a knee. “Naruto,” he says, and then, “‘ _Kashi Two_ ’?”

The boy beams. “Yeah! He was Kashi, but he wasn’t _our_ Kashi! He was older than Tou-chan, and he was really sick because he kept coughing, and he saved the village when the Kyuubi escaped!” The boy’s eyes glaze over for a moment, and then his smile gets even bigger. “He wants me to tell you that Kashi Two was from the future. Kurama says I’m scatter-brained.”

“ _Kurama?_ ”

Hiruzen pities Shikaku’s mind currently, but he doesn’t regret his choice of company. “Naruto,” he says, to bring the focus back around to the reason he’s here in the Forest of Death with an eight year old and a twenty-five year old, both now ANBU agents. “Not only do I give you these masks as a sign of trust and solidarity, but also that you may enter Konohagakure and, more importantly, my office, should the need arise. Or should you simply wish to check in on your family without the threat of exposure. Your parents miss you. Kakashi misses you.”

Deer continues to kneel, clearly lost to his thoughts, but Naruto gives another firm nod, expression sure. “Thank you, Hokage-sama.” He clears his throat. “Is my family alright?”

It’s Deer that responds, blunt and efficient as he rises to his feet, and Hiruzen is relieved that he’s not the one who tells the boy. “Your mother is unwell, Naruto. She fell ill and your father was forced to step down from the Hokage seat to care for her.”

The boy nods, turns on his heel, and shunshins out of sight. Deer turns to the Hokage.

Hiruzen simply waits until an undersized ANBU joins them, Kitsune mask in place, the mask’s built-in concealment seal cloaking his blond hair until as a dull brown.

“Would you like an ANBU tattoo, Kitsune?” Hiruzen asks while they walk.

The boy lets out a soft laugh. “Really?”

He hums. “It’s the only part I’ve left out so far.”

“Hokage-sama, you can transmit messages through those tattoos, can’t you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just love happy!curious!excitable!naruto :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A reunion... of sorts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! so, i'm undecided about some things, which means this may or may not be the last thing i post for a few days! we'll see! i have to check with my beta about a few things, and when i get his feedback, i'll know more!

When Kushina moved to Konoha as a child, she’d expected her life to be much different than this. Sure, she was going to become the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, and she would have to train long and hard in order to be able to control even a little of the demon fox’s chakra. But those things were a given. She was chosen practically the moment she was born.

She didn’t foresee falling in love with the man who would one day become the Yondaime Hokage, or giving birth to their child, or the seal continuing to weaken post-birth until the Kyuubi eventually escaped. After that, things had been completely dark for days, and when she woke, it was only to be told that her little boy was most likely kidnapped or killed in the confusion.

Some days she’s able to walk the house freely, but she weakens easily and is forced to rest for such _long_ periods of time. Other days, her body is so tired that she can hardly move from her bed to the bathroom and back. And Minato, poor Minato, her kind, loving, adoring husband, gave up everything he had to become her caretaker.

And she wants so badly to blame _someone_ , but who? Who can she blame? She was the one who knew the dangers of bearing a child as a female jinchuuriki. She was the one who foolishly believed the worst was over when the fox didn’t escape the night Naruto was born.

 _Kami_ , and what about Kakashi? Kakashi, who loved Naruto just as much as she and Minato did, who still searches despite all the signs pointing to her son’s passing. _Four years._ It’s been four years, and still, the thought is like a fresh wound in her heart.

She turns away from the window when the whisper of a footstep permeates her thoughts, but it isn’t Minato standing in the bedroom. Instead, there stands a _very small ANBU_ wearing the Kitsune mask, head cocked to the side.

_Why is he so small?_

“Good morning, Kushina-san,” the ANBU says, and his voice is disguised by the built in systems the mask provides. Not all masks have them, because not all shinobi in ANBU need them, but the person in front of her is clearly a child.

“Good morning, Kitsune. What can I do for you?”

The boy forms a seal with his hands and they light up with purple chakra. “Permission to approach?” He’s at her side the moment she nods, hands hovering over the empty seal on her stomach. She doesn’t understand why he’s bothering, but she allows it anyway. What can it hurt that a random ANBU is attempting to heal her? He asked first, and it isn’t as if Minato is far away.

Suddenly, she’s encased in warmth. It fills her up inside and then surrounds her, growing warmer and warmer before becoming almost white-hot, and then it’s gone, and so is Kitsune. She falls asleep, somehow exhausted despite the fact that it can’t have been more than five minutes.

Right?

Later, when Kushina wakes, she’s still warm. She stretches her limbs, sitting up on the bed, and glances at the clock. There’s a note beside it, folded neatly, but she decides to at least brush her teeth before she does anything else. It isn’t until she’s tying her hair up in a bun on top of her head and clipping her bangs back that it hits her: _she’s not tired._

This is more than just a Good Day™. This is her joints and extremities not being stiff, her hands and feet lacking the same old chill that hasn’t gone away since the Kyuubi’s escape.

A memory claws up from the recesses of her mind, from Before™, from the time Nar--her son sat vigil at Kakashi’s bedside for a good eighteen hours. When she’d returned to the hospital at six o’clock in the morning, Kakashi had revealed that _Naruto_ , her little three year old, had basically healed his serious injuries in two hours time.

But that means--

If he could do that, then--

/

When Minato pushes the front door open, he isn’t expecting Kushina to be waiting for him. When she hadn’t gotten out of bed by eleven, he had known it would be a Bad Day™, so finding her sorting through the papers on the desk near the front door is a surprise in and of itself, but it’s the fact that she has some _color_ to her skin that really shocks him. She’s been ailing since the Nine-Tails’ escape--at first, they hadn’t even known if she would stabilize enough to survive.

He doesn’t know whether to be alarmed or ecstatic, and ends up settling on confusion. “Kushina?”

“Welcome home, Darling,” she answers, sending him a smile over her shoulder. _What?_

“Kushina…?”

His wife straightens up from where she’d been bent over the desk, turning to face him. The smile is still there. In fact, she doesn’t look like she’d ever been unwell at all. “It’s a miracle, Minato.”

_I have to agree with you there._

“H-how? Wh--How?”

She reaches for him and closes the door when he’s across the threshold. “An ANBU paid me a visit this morning. You were still home at the time, I think, but he wasn’t here very long. After he left, I fell asleep, and when I woke, I was… this.”

An ANBU healer had sneaked into their home to heal his wife…? “What?”

Kushina brushes him off. “Minato, there are _options_ , now.”

_Options?_

“You could let Sandaime-sama finally retire, for one thing.”

At the mention of him, Minato’s mind wanders back to his meeting with the Hokage this morning. He just can’t shake the feeling that the old man hadn’t quite told him everything. But what would he be hiding? And what was in the message he’d received from their ANBU level allies?

“Are _you_ going to be okay if I do that, Kushina?”

She smiles at him. “Minato, if you want to go back, all you have to do is say so. I, personally, want to train until I’m back to jonin level. After all, we can’t let Kakashi search for Naruto all alone, can we?”

His heart pounds. _Naruto. She agrees?_ “You really…?”

“I’m not ready to give up,” she says. And really, that’s all there is to it. Minato doesn’t know for sure what changed her mind. Whether it was the miracle ANBU visitor, or simply a realization she’d been reaching for awhile, he doesn’t know, but that doesn’t matter anymore.

They’re going to see their son again, one way or another.

/

Naruto feels _good_. Kurama’s practically purring in the back of his mind, and right now, Naruto’s just pleased that Obi-nii collected him for a mission the second he returned and that he managed to heal his kaa-chan from her illness.

“So, what were you saying about masks?” Obi-nii asks as they flit through the trees, heading Kami-knows-where. Naruto smiles.

“Catch,” he says, and tosses an ANBU mask to his companion.

Obi-nii snatches the mask out of the air and pauses on the next branch, looking at Naruto when he stops too. “Where did you get this?”

“Jiji brought it to me!” He pulls the other out of his cloak. “I got one too. I guess my message made sense, but I’m still not sure how they knew where to find us. We’ll have to be more careful about who trains in the forest from now on.”

Obito shakes his head. “What?”

_Jeez, isn’t Obi-nii supposed to be smart? How old is he, anyway?_

**Well, you didn’t exactly explain anything to him, child.**

Naruto makes a face, slipping the mask on. Obito’s jaw falls open.

“You’re gonna catch flies, you know.” He crosses his arms. “Anyway, Sandaime-sama gave us these masks and a scroll containing his blessing for our missions. That way, if anybody else from Konoha and its allies attempts to stop us, we only have to show them the Hokage’s official crest.”

**Much better, kit. It seems the time traveler managed to penetrate that big skull of yours after all.**

_Hey!_

“You sent a message to the Hokage?”

Naruto wrinkles an eyebrow, though Obito can’t see it, and then nods. “Yes, Kashi Two taught me ANBU shorthand. I learned that before I learned regular hiragana and katakana and kanji. So, are we going on this mission, or what?”

Later, when they’re closer to their destination, Obito explains that he’d discovered Rin had been kidnapped and that Kakashi was rescuing her, but that he was certain there was more to it than that. The trouble is, they’re going into this without a plan, because they don’t have all the information needed to actually _make_ one. It’s a good thing Naruto does his best work under pressure.

/

Kakashi’s ears ring. The Chidori sets off little bursts of lighting along his skin, but he hardly notices--he simply sprints at his enemy, unable to stop, unable to turn, unable to _change_ , and when Rin-- _Rin_ , _his friend_ , _his only teammate left_ \--steps in front of his attack at the last minute, it’s all he can do to rip his hand back out of the hole in her chest and gently lower her to the ground. He knows--he _knows_ \--she’s dying, but he’s out of energy now, can’t even _try_ to heal her, and _this is why my jutsu is best used in assassination_ , he thinks as his body slumps to the side. Unable to close his eyes just yet, he watches two cloaked figures burst into the small clearing. One of them drops to its knees at Rin’s side while the other attacks the Kiri ninja surrounding him and Rin.

The Kitsune mask is the last thing his Sharingan records before he falls unconscious.

( _First it was Naruto, and then it was Obito, and now_ Rin _. Am I truly cursed? And I used to think He would be my greatest loss…_ )

He wakes again several hours later, lain next to a small fire, and pushes himself up. Sensei is silent nearby, but he doesn’t remember Sensei coming to his aid. Hadn’t it been-- _oh_ . Beyond Minato, an ANBU sits with its back against a tree, another to its left. Kakashi shifts his gaze to the other side of the fire to see-- _Kushina?_

“Welcome back, Kakashi.”

And then he remembers Rin, and all of the air leaves him. _Rin’s dead, I killed Rin. I killed Rin, even though I promised--_

“Kakashi!” Minato-sensei’s grip on his arm is hard and unyielding, grounding him to the present despite every thought in his head _begging_ him to go back to sleep where nothing hurts and he can pretend his biggest problem was Obito’s sacrifice.

“ _Rin_ ,” he chokes, but Kushina moves, and she looks _healthy, what?_

“Rin will be okay, Kakashi.”

 _Okay?_ “No, I _killed_ her. I promised--I _promised Obito_ that I’d--and I--”

Minato’s grip tightens on his arm, just this side of painful. “Kakashi, you need to _breathe_. Rin’s still alive, we wouldn’t lie to you.”

“But--” He holds up his right hand, covered in dried, crusted blood, the blood of his comrade, his teammate, his _friend_.

Minato points to the space between Kakashi and Kushina, the space he’d avoided looking at when his periphery included brown hair and purple clan markings. Slowly, heart pounding, he turns his head and-- _breathing, she’s breathing, h-how?_

“What?”

Sensei’s grip loosens and falls away. He gestures to the two ANBU. “Kitsune and Dolphin arrived as you collapsed, and Kitsune was able to heal Rin despite the damage she’d taken when intercepting your Chidori. He was still healing her when Kushina and I arrived.”

 _This tiny ANBU healed Rin from_ that _? How on Earth…?_

“Not only that, but Kitsune also paid a visit to Kushina the other day,” Minato-sensei continues, as if Kakashi isn’t having an internal crisis. “As of Sunday, I will be returning to the Hokage’s chair as the Yondaime.”

It only makes sense. With Kushina back in good health, and no doubt training hard to return to the shinobi forces, Minato would certainly want to return to his station. And the Sandaime isn’t getting any younger. Kakashi had been shocked when he’d agreed to return to the chair when Minato stepped down.

But what are they doing _here_?

“Kitsune alerted the Hokage to your situation and Sandaime-sama was kind enough to send word to me that you needed help. Of course, you didn’t need _nearly_ as much help as we expected when he sent us.”

Then who had sent Kitsune and Dolphin in the first place? He’d never seen them around the village, despite the fact that Kakashi has been working hard that one day he might _be_ inducted into ANBU.

Not to mention the fact that he’d nearly killed Rin.

 _The Sanbi. Do they know?_ “They turned her into a jinchuuriki,” he says. “She told me, she wanted me to kill her and I wouldn’t. That’s why she intercepted the Chidori. She said that something was wrong, that it was a trap.”

“Kitsune dealt with it,” Dolphin answers before anybody else can. “The Sanbi was rigged to go berserk the second Rin entered Konoha, but Kitsune managed to alter her seal and remove the trigger. Rin can go home without fear of losing control, now, and I’m sure that Kushina-sama won’t mind helping her learn about the bijuu. Or, if Rin would like, Kitsune can help her, too. He’s very good with the Tailed Beasts.”

Kakashi has always known he’s a genius. His mind is sharper than a Nara’s and he’s _very well trained_ as far as abilities go. So _why is he so confused?_

“You should get some more rest, Kakashi,” Kushina-sama says, and her smile is warm. It’s almost like he hasn’t spent the last four years avoiding her and Minato-sensei, even though he most certainly _has_.

The Kitsune ANBU sits up slowly, stretching his arms above his head. _He must be exhausted after healing a wound like that_.

“Kitsune?” he says softly, and the mask immediately faces him, the eye holes as dark as night and unnerving to say the least.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.” He puts every ounce of gratitude he can in the words, mind wandering back to the alley outside of a supply run on one of his longer missions a year or so ago. Apparently, the cogs in his mind _are_ still turning. “It was you in that alley with the thug, wasn’t it?”

A nod. “There’s no need to thank me, Kakashi,” he says lightly.

No need? The boy--he _has_ to be a boy, because he’s too small to be a man--saved his life, saved _Rin’s_ despite the impossibility of it, _saved Kushina’s_. “I have every reason to thank you,” he finally responds, and then he lowers himself back down, curling up on his side. His eye has been drooping since Minato had calmed his fears, and sleep finds him easily.

He dreams of a boy with blond hair and vibrant blue eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so, quite a lot of angst in this chapter, but also!!!!! rin's alive! kushina's healed!!!! heck yeah, we saving everybody up in this bish!
> 
> ahhem...
> 
> anyway.
> 
> what do we think of kushina's 180 here? i think it's fitting. even if she doesn't really know that kitsune is naruto, she suspects that it's a possibility! but she's unsure, and she doesn't want to be wrong, so she doesn't say anything!
> 
> and it's doubtful that she'll outright ask him, because if she does and finds out the truth, i doubt anything would stop her from telling her husband and kakashi! and so, it would ruin my plot!
> 
> with that being said, i hope you enjoyed this chapter!
> 
> (a secret: i haven't made it any further than shippuden episode 53. i did a heck of a lot of research for a few other stories i was writing, though, and then even more when i started this one, so anything that doesn't add up or really butchers canon--i mean, this isn't following canon that much anyway--could be because i'm very far behind)
> 
> OKAY I'M REALLY DONE RAMBLING NOW, I PROMISE!!!


	8. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi goes back in time to save his most precious person. Only, after he's there, he fears he might have doomed him instead.

_Kakashi finds the body two minutes before midnight. The village is in ruins from the fox’s escape, Sensei and his wife are both MIA, and Kakashi has been searching for Sensei’s son since the moment he returned to Konoha earlier in the afternoon._

_And he finds the body two minutes before midnight._

_The blonde hair gives it away._

_N--the child is impossibly still, but Kakashi doesn’t even think when he lunges into the small alleyway, filled with relief, and pulls him into his arms, not until it occurs to him to wake the boy._

_But the boy won’t wake._

_The boy_ can’t _wake, will never wake again._

_Sensei’s son isn’t breathing. Sensei’s son’s heart isn’t beating. Sensei’s s--_

_Kakashi chokes on the air building in his chest, chokes out a sob and turns off his headset. He just needs a moment._

_Naruto is cold under his hands, and now that any leftover relief has faded, Kakashi notices the bruises. And the dried blood at the corner of Naruto’s mouth._

_(Had it been quick? Did he suffer much? Were you watching him, Father?)_

_Kakashi can piece together what must’ve happened. When the people of the village realized what was going on, and saw the Nine-Tails with their own eyes, they panicked. It only makes sense that Naruto was caught in the flood of civilians trying to get away. And he’s so_ **_small_ ** _, it only makes sense that they didn’t see him, that they trampled right over him without even noticing._

_But now_

_Now Naruto is dead. The boy who brought sunshine into his life, who brought_ **_happiness_ ** _back into his life, is gonegonegone, and Kakashi can’t_ breathe _\--_

_(What am I going to tell Sensei?)_

_(Where_ **_is_ ** _Sensei?)_

/

Kakashi has been alone for nearly thirty-five years.

Not by choice. From the moment he laid eyes on Sensei’s newborn son when he was seven years old, Kakashi had found a purpose for his life, and four short years later, his reason for living was ripped away when the child was killed in the stampede of Konoha’s panicked citizens on the night the Nine-Tails escaped it’s jailer.

On top of that, both of Naruto’s parents died that night, too.

Sensei’s family had become Kakashi’s family by accident, but he’d grown attached to them and then they were ripped out from under him like the proverbial rug.

He was eleven when he lost his second family. And three years later, he lost both of his teammates within a matter of months.

After that, Kakashi drifted between missions, hardly carrying on with his life.

He hadn’t wanted to live. And most days, he can’t remember why he’s still alive. Konoha had fallen when Kakashi was thirty-one years old, and there had been so few survivors that nobody had the heart to rebuild. Those remaining disbanded within a few months, and Kakashi only really stayed in touch with Gai afterward (and really, only because Gai refused to let Kakashi push him away. It would be easier if Gai would allow things to end, but Kakashi appreciates his friend despite everything. So he understands where Gai is coming from).

Jiraiya still lives, as well, and he’s the reason Kakashi has any heart left in him at all, because he has a _plan_.

The Toad Sage has worked for years perfecting the Time Jump jutsu, and Kakashi’ll be damned if he isn’t the one who uses it.

/

He lands three feet away from the memorial stone with a pounding headache and lungs that don’t want to cooperate, but

But he gets up anyway.

When he finally finds a calendar, Kakashi must come to terms with the fact that he has only hours before the Kyuubi’s escape, so he prepares everything he needs as quickly as possible and is ready and waiting when the first alarm goes off--the alarm for Naruto’s disappearance. It’s not a village-wide alarm by any means, but Kakashi knows exactly what it signifies when a handful of shinobi take to the roofs.

He doesn’t rush so much as hurry determinedly to his destination. His heart nearly stops when he finds the little blond angel humming happily while he shuffles down an alley, heading in the direction of Kushina’s private training ground.

/

Every moment spent with Naruto is a miracle. The child is happy even when he’s sad that he can’t see his parents, and Kakashi doesn’t understand _why he’s so trusting_.

He learns every lesson diligently, is always eager to please, practically _glows_ when Kakashi praises him.

 _You’re only four years old, Naruchan. Four years old and_ **_alive_ ** _. I don’t deserve you_.

“Kashi! Look, Kashi, look!” The child in question forms a series of ANBU hand signs, but the greeting he spells out is far too precious to belong in ANBU vocabulary.

He can do nothing but sweep the boy into his arms and hug him, whispering praises against his temple.

It _aches_. His heart aches, but in the long run, this is the best choice. Naruto will have to learn how to take care of himself, but Kakashi will teach him everything he needs to know before he’s forced to return to his own year.

At least he’s alive.

Naruto’s alive, but so is Sensei, and Sensei’s wife, and several shinobi who would have perished while attempting to tame the Nine-Tails.

No casualties. Not this time.

/

“Naruto-chan, come here for a moment.”

The boy materializes in front of him--his first non-practice use of the _shunshin_. “Kashi?”

His body isn’t as young as it used to be, but Kakashi feels weaker than a shinobi his age should. In the months he’s been by Naruto’s side, he’s hardly gone a day without breaking into coughing spells here and there, and every moment spent using his chakra drains him immensely.

He doesn’t have much time left, but Kakashi refuses to die here, refuses to die out of his own time, in front of a child who deserves more from him--so much more that he won’t be able to give.

“The Kyuubi’s power is available to you alone, Naruto. Do you know that? I sealed it in you using your father’s own improved formula, a formula that _his_ sensei, your godfather, perfected for me before I came back here.”

He knows--Kami, he knows--Naruto won’t be able to fully grasp the things Kakashi is telling him, but he hopes that his words will make enough of an impression that they’ll stick, so that one day, the boy will understand.

“You have to make me another promise, Naruchan.”

Bright blue eyes ( _too young, he’s too young, what have I done?_ ) gaze at him with all the severity a four and a half year old boy can muster up. Kakashi wants to take it all back. He wants to go back in time--again--just to save Naruto the fate Kakashi has chosen for him.

_I’m so sorry for the burden you bear._

“Promise me you won’t go home until you have full control of the Nine-Tails chakra.”

_I’m sorry you have to wait so long._

“If you go home too soon, you’ll be putting the village in danger. Not only that, but your parents, your friends, and yourself. People could die, Naruto, do you understand?”

_You have to take good care of yourself. I can’t bear the thought of losing you a second time._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know it's short and sad, but mainly i wanted to give you some insight into why kakashi travels back in time.
> 
> i decided this event before i wrote the majority of this story, but i finally got it written in the last two days and my beta and i agree that this is the point in the story it should be placed.
> 
> as always, thank you for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsunade pays Minato a visit, and Kakashi learns a truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i couldn't resist posting again. i have no patience. why wait if it's written, right?
> 
> i haven't said it, so all mistakes are mine!
> 
> please enjoy!

Two months before the fifth anniversary of the Kyuubi’s escape, Minato steps out of Hokage Tower with only one objective in mind: figure out what the commotion outside the gates is all about. He’d just finished his lunch when one of the ANBU in his office had informed him that there was a situation at the front gates that needed his attention.

Now, typically, the chunin at the gates only call for back-up if the problem is extremely serious. Seeing as the rest of the village is going about their day like nothing’s wrong, he can assume that nothing dire is happening. So why, in all of Konoha, has his presence been requested?

And then he hears the whisper, right when he’s about to make the turn that will lead him to the steps before the gate. _“The sannin Tsunade.”_

All three of the sannin left the village years ago, and the last time Tsunade paid a visit, she’d come to meet Naruto. _Because, as much as she’s loath to admit it, she’s still a big softy on the inside._

So, what is the reason for _this_ visit?

When he reaches the gates, it isn’t to find a fight, or an injured sannin, or even anything really worrisome. He finds Senju Tsunade arguing with one of his gate chunin about the price of tea in the next village over, though the conversation tapers off upon his arrival.

“ _Finally_ ,” Tsunade says, hands on her hips.

_What in the name of the Shinigami is going on?_

“We have some things to talk about, Yondaime-sama.”

Fifteen minutes later sees Minato, Tsunade, and Tsunade’s assistant sitting in his office. She’d requested that he limit the amount of ANBU in the room to one, so he’d kept Leopard at his side and sent the others away. “What’s this about, Tsunade-sama?”

She leans back in her chair, no doubt wishing she had a bottle of sake up her sleeve, but she sighs after a moment and inclines her head. “I’ve had two encounters with ANBU agent Dolphin.”

He nods. _What does that have to do with anything?_ “Dolphin remains sanctioned by this Office, Tsunade-sama.”

“But you don’t know his identity.” It’s worded like a question, but he doesn’t think it is one.

“No. He and his companion were sanctioned by the Sandaime and I’ve added my personal crest to their contract.” He cocks his head. “Do _you_ know their identities?”

The sannin hums. “I know Dolphin’s, but I don’t know the child’s. Over a year ago, Shizune and I came across Dolphin unmasked.”

Tsunade’s assistant, Shizune, shifts. “Tsunade-sama kidnapped him out of a grocery store.”

He’s starting to wish he hadn’t gotten out of bed today. After all, he doesn’t _really_ need to know Dolphin’s identity. Does he?

And _why_ did you kidnap a random person from a grocery store? Just- _why?_

“He looked familiar and I thought maybe the old man sent somebody to keep tabs on us.”

“You were wrong,” Shizune grumbles. She doesn’t even flinch when Tsunade turns a glare on her. Minato has to give her credit for that one.

“ _Anyway_ , we deduced that the young man I tied up was an Uchiha who’d nearly lost his life in the war. Shizune was the one who remembered his name. You see, the young man in question was missing an eye, which is why I was so suspicious. I had thought the Uchiha were very strict about that.”

_Missing an eye? But the only… There’s no way…_

“Uchiha Obito lives,” Shizune finishes. “We know he was your student, so we thought you should know, Hokage-sama.”

 _Obito is alive._ Obito’s alive, and he didn’t come back? “Did he tell you anything else?” _Kakashi’s going to be torn up about this._

“He told us he was indebted to the person who saved him, and that he couldn’t return because people would ask questions that he’s unable to answer.”

 _Note to self: next time Dolphin makes an appearance, don’t question his survival._ That doesn’t mean he can’t let the kid know he’s missed, right?

_Kid. He would be 16 now._

“If you happen to have another encounter with Dolphin before I do, please let him know that I will not question his actions.” He steeples his fingers, elbows resting on the arms of his chair, and directs his gaze toward the window.

/

Kakashi’s having a really shitty week. For instance, Rin recently returned from her training mission with Kushina, and ever since she got home, she’s been avoiding Kakashi like he’s carrying the plague that killed five thousand citizens of the Land of Lightning several years ago.

 _And_ , after the incident where she nearly lost her life, Kakashi had, in fact, been inducted into ANBU, but has yet to run into Kitsune or Dolphin again. He runs mission after mission with his team, and he feels like he belongs more than he ever did before, but that doesn’t stop him from wondering just what he’s missing. Because he _has_ to be missing _something_. Maybe he can ask Deer about it.

_Not to mention I have even less time to look for Naruto than ever before._

“Hound, Hokage-sama wants you in his office.”

Kakashi nods without question, turning on the spot to leave the bunker he’d just returned to. It’s not often that Minato-sensei asks for him alone, and less often that he’s summoned when he’s just returned from a mission. That can only mean that whatever sensei wants him for, it’s probably not a mission.

When he arrives, the Yondaime is seated at his desk, fingers steepled and gaze directed toward the large window, chair half turned in order to see outside. The only other person in the room is Leopard, which means whatever is going on, it must be important. So why is he telling Kakashi about it? He’s not exactly Top Dog, and their relationship is fairly strained--completely Kakashi’s doing, of course.

“It’s just us here, Kakashi, and I’d rather have this conversation without your mask between us.”

He complies, sliding his mask to the side to meet his former sensei’s gaze. “What’s going on, sensei?”

Minato hums. “Today, Tsunade of the sannin brought me some news that I think you will be very interested in.”

Tsunade the slug sannin, the strongest kunoichi in the world. _What could she have told sensei that he wants me to know?_

He doesn’t let his mind wander while his sensei studies him. Whatever this is about, it can only hit close to home, especially if the Yondaime wants to be able to _see_ him. He supposes it _could_ be about the anniversary of the demon fox’s escape, now that it’s so close, but he doesn’t think it is. It could, of course, be about Rin’s behavior, but he doesn’t think Minato-sensei knows she’s been avoiding him.

“Over a year ago, Tsunade-sama and her apprentice encountered Dolphin. It was a few days before Rin’s abduction, and Dolphin was not masked. She said she was curious about him because he looked like an Uchiha and he was missing an eye.”

_Missing… an eye…?_

_Obito._

“He’s alive? He’s alive and we just left him there?”

Minato sighs, but his expression betrays his own inner turmoil. “You didn’t abandon him, Kakashi. You and Rin were forced to flee lest you be crushed, too. Do _not_ blame yourself.”

“Why didn’t he come home, sensei?”

More importantly, how did he escape? Surely, he’d lost a lot of blood, right? Surely… surely it wasn’t as simple as moving the boulder off of him…, right?

“Obito told Tsunade-sama that he’s loyal to Konoha, but he’s loyal to the person who saved him, and that person isn’t willing to expose himself yet. I can only assume that the ANBU who wears the Kitsune mask is also Obito’s savior, and we owe him a great debt.”

_It seems I owe Kitsune another ‘thank you’, doesn’t it…_

“Does Rin know?”

The Hokage shakes his head. “Tsunade-sama only left ten minutes before you arrived, Kakashi. Why do you ask?”

When he tells his sensei about Rin’s actions, the man only smiles at him. “Kakashi, if you’d attempted suicide by the hand of a friend, would you not feel incredibly guilty about it?”

_Guilty?_

Kakashi certainly knows the weight of guilt, has struggled with it for so long it’s almost like an old friend anymore.

Well, at least, the next time he sees ‘Dolphin’, he’s going to give the guy a right hook. _That’ll show him for letting me think he’s dead… Jerk._

/

When Obito slips into the village, he’s not expecting much. Maybe a few glances, since he’s not particularly keeping to the shadows. Per _haps_ a few words to be exchanged, whether with the other ANBU, or the jonin scattered around. Hell, maybe somebody would go so far as to befriend him.

He’s not expecting the punch that sends him sprawling by the ANBU wearing the Hound mask. He’s not expecting the hand up afterwards, either.

He’s _definitely_ not expecting said ANBU to drag him away to Field 7 and turn to face him with his arms crossed. “It’s okay, Obito. I know it’s you.” And then Hound pulls his mask off and Kakashi stares at him with an expression Obito _just can’t read_.

Kakashi.

He reaches out with his senses, but he doubts Kakashi would have taken the ANBU mask off if he wasn’t sure they’d be left alone, so Obito pulls Dolphin’s mask off, as well, meeting Kakashi’s one-eyed gaze with his own.

“I know that your loyalty lies with the one who saved you. I won’t ask you to betray his trust, Obito, so you don’t have to worry about me asking intrusive questions, okay? I suppose I just owe Kitsune another thank you.”

This Kakashi isn’t the same as the one he’d known before his almost-demise. He doesn’t think it’s necessarily a _bad_ thing. After losing Naruto, Kakashi’d had a one-track mind, and it was always stuck on one thought: find Naruto. Now, though, it seems ANBU has been good for him. And maybe the situation with Rin helped, too.

Besides, it’s been two years since Kannabi Bridge, and Obito has trained extensively with Naruto; they both have progressed quickly. It might have been good for Obito to get out from under the weight of being the clan orphan, of being the dead last.

“I’m sorry, Kakashi. I _would_ have told you, but… It’s just complicated. By all rights, I shouldn’t have survived my injuries, but Kitsune is… a miracle. And anyway, it didn’t stop me from trying to keep an eye on you.” He wonders how Rin is doing with her new role in the village, but perhaps he shouldn’t think about her now. After all, she’d never really felt the same way about him that he had her, and she has too much on her plate for him to worry about it anyway. “If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t have been able to help you and Rin that day.”

Kakashi looks pained. “I’m sorry. I promised I would--”

“Kakashi, please don’t apologize to me. I was there, I know you never intended on hurting her. It was Rin’s choice. If Kitsune hadn’t been with me, it sadly might’ve been the best choice. At least, for the sake of the village.”

_Naruto really is our savior, isn’t he?_

He offers Kakashi a small smile. “How did you figure it out, anyway?”

Kakashi gives him an eye smile. “Well, Tsunade-sama came to see Minato-sensei, and he was kind enough to let me in on the secret.” The smile falls away. “He told me two days ago. I think Tsunade has already left the village, but he told me the same day that she told him. Why do you think she did?”

 _Because she’s aware. She knows what it’s like to avoid this place. She knows what it’s like to miss home._ “The first time we encountered each other outside of the village, Tsunade kidnapped me. I was on my own at the time, and Kitsune was here, and she was questioning my presence. It was a coincidence that we happened to be in the same town. See, I was on my way to check on you and Rin, and when I woke up tied to a chair, it didn’t occur to me to lie.” His scars pull with his smile. “Basically, she figured out that I was missing home. So, I suppose she finally decided that if I wouldn’t give up my secret, she’d do it for me, and then I wouldn’t have a choice in the matter.”

 _And this way, my team understands how serious I am about keeping Kitsune’s secret until he’s ready_.

Actually, he thinks if Rin finds out and questions him, he won’t be able to lie to her, and then the entire thing will be pointless. “Can you do me a favor, Kakashi?”

Kakashi nods.

“Don’t tell Rin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so what do you think of Obito and Kakashi? if Minato hadn't been the one to tell Kakashi, do you think he would have been a lot angrier at Obito? i think so.
> 
> up next: babysitter Naruto to the rescue!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kitsune gives some perspective and Minato misses his son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, after this I really don't have another complete chapter :(
> 
> BUT!!!!! That doesn't mean I'm not working on it! I have a direction and of course I want to get the plot moving, so hopefully I'll see you again soon!
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Naruto isn’t really sure how this happened. He’d been walking past one of the many Clan compounds in his home village, minding his own business, when the Hyuga Clan Head had basically begged him to babysit his daughter and nephew for a few hours, because they’d been called to a council meeting and the majority of the servants were currently out, or otherwise occupied.

And despite only being nine, Naruto knows it’s best to keep on the Clans’ good sides, so he’d awkwardly agreed to Leopard’s brother’s request.

It was all going well at first. Both Hyuga children are well-behaved and the boy is quite playful. (His cousin, however, is very shy. Naruto has the feeling she’ll grow out of it one day.)

But then Deer had approached him with another toddler (he’s pretty sure the boy’s name is Shikamaru). Deer wasn’t on duty, which means he was in his regular shinobi uniform, and he’d looked apologetic. “I’m sorry, Kitsune, but I cannot find _anyone_ willing to keep an eye on him during the meeting.”

So Naruto had agreed to watch _his_ boy, too, who’d simply flopped against Naruto’s back to watch the clouds with a heavy sigh. _Ah, Naras never disappoint._

Naruto’s vigilant, and his senses reach pretty far, so the field he’d elected to watch the kids in isn’t hard for him to keep track of, which is why he isn’t surprised when another of Konoha’s elite approaches him with an angry, red-faced, blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl in his arms and an awkward smile on his face. Naruto doesn’t even bother waiting on an explanation. “I suppose one more won’t be a problem. What is her name?”

“Ino,” the man tells him, and then thanks him before he _shunshins_ away.

That four quickly turns into five, and then six, and then eight.

Well, he thinks the only reason Obito’s cousins show up is out of curiosity, because Itachi carries his younger brother over with a smile and offers to help watch the children.

All in all, Naruto mainly keeps track of them by scent, because it turns out that Itachi is quite the intellectual. Already a genin at seven, he’s almost on par with Kakashi as far as being a prodigy. Naruto can only hope that the boy doesn’t lose everything like Kakashi had.

“No, the blonde one is Ino, and the one with her hair in little buns is Tenten.” He ruffles Neji’s hair. “But you catch on very quickly, little Hyuga.” Somehow, Leopard’s son had taken a liking to Naruto and settled in his lap when he’d tired of chasing the other boys. Naruto’s fairly sure he knows each of their names, now, with Itachi’s help, and they sit side-by-side watching the children play.

“How old are you, Kitsune?” Itachi asks, glancing at him from the corner of his eye.

Naruto hums. He’s fairly comfortable, despite the three year old in his lap and the two year old leaning against his back, half-asleep. “I’m nine.” Ino is sitting a few feet away, weaving flowers together in roughly-made crowns. She’s already put one on both his and Itachi’s heads, and another on Shikamaru’s. When she’d attempted to place one on Itachi’s little brother’s head, though, the boy had scowled and hidden behind his brother. Naruto’s pretty sure he’s going to be a stubborn one when he grows up.

**You’re starting to sound old, kit. Do try to remember that you’re still a child yourself.**

Naruto fights the urge to roll his eyes, but he can see Kurama’s point, even if he doesn’t want to admit it. But the truth is, while it’s rather unfortunate, Naruto can’t really afford to be a real kid. Not anymore. “Ne, Itachi, can you promise me something?”

The boy smiles at him, looking far too young in this instant. “Yes, Kitsune?”

“Never grow up.”

He frowns, cocking his head. “What does that mean? Everyone grows up.”

_I suppose he’s still a genin. I can’t exactly expect him to understand, yet._

**You never even went to the Academy.**

_I never had the chance! Kakashi--the_ other _Kakashi--needed to teach me all of those things before he left, so… I had to grow up pretty fast._

**That doesn’t mean you aren’t still young, child.**

“I suppose it means that, no matter what happens, try to stay true to your heart. Okay?” He hopes his smile is conveyed through his words, since Itachi can’t see his face. He cuddles Neji a little closer, making the boy laugh.

Itachi hums, frown falling away, and then gives him a nod. “Okay.” And then he takes Naruto by surprise and yanks his little brother into his arms, placing the flower crown from his own head onto the younger boy’s. “See, Sasuke, I think you should wear this one. I’m sure Ino-chan won’t mind making me another one.”

Nearby, Ino’s face lights up. She’d looked so dejected when Sasuke had run away from her, but now her smile makes Naruto feel warm, like everything is right in the world, and she holds up a new crown.

“Ino-chan, that’s your best one yet!” he tells her, earning another grin from her.

**And you call Obito a softy.**

Naruto smiles beneath his porcelain mask.

Eventually, Hiashi comes to collect his daughter and Neji (and Naruto receives a smile from him when he realizes Neji’s half-asleep in Naruto’s lap). Soon after, Deer collects Shikamaru, and then Ino is picked up, leaving the little girl named Tenten, the boy with the red markings on his cheeks that he thinks is a part of the Inuzuka Clan, and another boy whose shirt collar covers his face. Itachi and Sasuke continue to keep him company, and Naruto can only revel in it. He loves Obi-nii, but sometimes Obi-nii isn’t around, and he gets so lonely.

When the two boys start to fight, Itachi gets up before Naruto, leaving Sasuke beside him, and the little Uchiha inches closer, peering into the mask’s eyeholes. “Kitsune?” the boy says, making him smile.

“That’s right, Sasuke.” He pokes the boy’s nose.

Sasuke pokes the mask’s nose in retaliation, but smiles when Naruto only laughs.

 _We could always tell_ one _child, right Kurama?_

The fox rumbles an incoherent answer, too busy feigning sleep to respond, so Naruto rolls his eyes, lifting the edge of his mask just a little bit. Itachi isn’t far, but his back, and the backs of the two boys he separated, are all turned to him. And Naruto doesn’t mind so much if Tenten is paying attention when he pulls his mask off and gives Sasuke a real smile, making the boy’s face light up. He does what his mother used to do for him and places a light kiss on the boy’s forehead before putting his mask in place, just in time for Itachi to turn around again.

Sasuke’s blush is bright but adorable, and Naruto ruffles the boy’s hair.

It’s not the day he’d planned, but he thinks he’s happy with the way it turned out. After all, these children are Konoha’s future.

/

In the three months since she returned from her training mission with Yondaime-sama’s wife (it’s so hard to think of him as sensei, now, as silly as it sounds), Rin has gotten freakishly good at hiding and avoiding her former teammate. Kakashi’s busy, busier than ever, but when he _is_ in the village, on a rare day off, she’s forced to evade him, constantly. She’s sure, at his skill level, he could catch her if he _really_ wanted to, but Rin isn’t exactly willing to take that chance, so she does her best to stay off of his radar.

It’s just that she feels so _guilty_ . The horror in his eyes when she intercepted his chidori, the sound of his heart breaking when he’d lowered her to the ground… Rin will never forget those moments. She will never forget waking up in the hospital and the dawning realization that she had really done that, had really forced her teammate--her _friend_ \--to put his hand through her chest.

It was Kushina-sama who’d explained the following events, from the ANBU that saved her life to the altered seal of the tailed-beast inside her.

What neither of them have quite figured out is why Kitsune altered the seal to the point that she can _hear the Sanbi talking to her_.

But lately, her mind has been more focused on the subject of her friendship with Kakashi. She knows that she’d had few choices at the time, she’s not dumb. But the fact of the matter is, _why had she been too weak to do it herself?_ Why did she force Kakashi’s hand, literally? Why did she make that choice, the one that would hurt him the most?

And _why_ had it almost been a relief?

Rin shakes her head, forcing herself to focus on the task at hand. Kakashi’s wandering the village freely today, after his last mission landed him in the hospital with several broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder, elbow, and knee.

He can walk, now, thankfully, but Yondaime-sama had told him in no uncertain terms that he wouldn’t be going on another mission until he was given a clean bill of health by Rin herself.

And because Rin’s intelligent, she knows a subtle hint when she sees one. Her former sensei wants the two of them to talk, but Rin… she doesn’t have the words to even _begin_ to apologize, let alone attempt to ask for forgiveness. And she’s _certainly_ not letting Kakashi out of the village for at _least_ another month. So, he can just accept that he’s getting a vacation. Like most shinobi, Kakashi _hates_ downtime, so Rin’s really not surprised that he’s been attempting to track her down for several days now.

(She can’t help thinking that if Naruto were here, he would have already laid the guilt-trip on thick about Kakashi not being careful. Naruto had been an open book, and Kakashi’s health was always of the utmost importance when Naruto was still a toddler. It isn’t hard to imagine how protective he’d be _now_.)

She understands why he was a bit reckless on his last mission of course. Yondaime-sama hadn’t given her all the details, but he had mentioned there were children involved, and Kakashi gets _very_ protective when children are involved. No doubt because of what happened with Naruto. _Especially_ considering it had happened around the fifth anniversary of Naruto’s disappearance. Kakashi and her former sensei believe that Naruto’s still alive, and Rin’s suspicious that Kushina’s starting to believe it too, but every time she tries to think about it, she just gets sad. It almost seems like they’re relying too heavily on an unrealistic _possibility_. She wants to believe right alongside them, like Obito had begun to before…

It would probably be in her best interest to change her train of thought before it undoubtedly makes her even more depressed and unsettled.

“Um, what are you doing?”

Rin moves her gaze away from the medical text in her lap to find the ANBU with the Kitsune mask gazing at her, head cocked.

Apparently, even in their world, sticking upside down on the chin of one of the Hokage faces is strange.

“I’m hiding?”

“Oh. Are you playing a game or something?”

She can’t tell because of the vocal filter built into the mask, but she thinks he’s fairly young. This is really the person who saved her? Rin supposes she can’t exactly judge, since it was the wife of the current Hokage who told her the story, but he does seem rather small. “Not exactly. See, Kakashi’s looking for me, and I’m avoiding him.”

Kitsune hums, walking down the side of the Yondaime’s face until he’s perched directly beside her. “If you don’t mind my asking, how come you’re hiding from Kakashi? Isn’t he your friend?”

 _He’s been a better friend to me than I have to him. And to think, when we were all genin, he couldn’t stand us._ “I haven’t spoken to him since that night in the forest, when you saved my life. Thank you for that, by the way.”

“Wait, you aren’t actually mad at him for that, are you? You’re the one who threw yourself in front of a jutsu that you _know_ he can’t exactly stop.”

 _God, Kakashi probably thinks I’m mad at him, too._ “No, no, it isn’t like that! It’s just…” She takes a deep breath, tucking her book away. “I don’t know… how I can even _begin_ to apologize? I put him through something _awful_ , after he’d done his best to rescue me, and I…”

“I think it was foolish.” Kitsune’s voice is soft, gaze elsewhere. She can only see a small portion of the mask he wears. “It was really foolish, and really cruel, but I don’t think he sees it that way. You probably know Kakashi better than I do, so surely you know he doesn’t hold a grudge against you. If anything, he’ll continue to blame himself no matter who tells him otherwise, even you. He simply _does_.” He sighs. “I can’t imagine how you felt in that situation. The odds were stacked against you, so even if you hadn’t decided to commit suicide, you probably would have been killed, and so would he. But your choice took the Kiri ANBU by surprise, enough so that we arrived in enough time to defeat them and save you. But what if we hadn’t? You would be dead, and Kakashi would be blaming himself for one more death.” Kitsune stands, looking back at her. She wonders if he’s smiling.

“I don’t exactly feel any better.”

“I wasn’t trying to make you feel better.” He _must_ be smiling. “I was just making a point. Hiding from him isn’t going to make you feel any better, either. If I were you, I’d just talk to him.”

(Later, after she faces him and clears the air, Kakashi asks her to give him a clean bill of health. Rin breaks his nose and declares that he’s stuck in the village for another month, at least.)

/

“Minato?”

The Yondaime turns away from the kitchen window, offering his wife a flimsy smile. “How are you feeling?”

Kushina gives him a fond look. “Every day you ask me, and every day it’s the same answer.” She crosses the space between them, joining him by the window to lean into his side. “What’s bothering you this evening?”

_A million things, Kushina. My missing son. Kakashi. The never-ending stacks of paperwork piled on my desk in the office._

“I miss him.”

Kushina hums. “We’ll find him.”

_The tables have turned, haven’t they?_

But Minato is beginning to doubt. _Five years._ What if they can’t find him? Kakashi is the best tracker Konoha has seen, and even he hasn’t found a _trace_ of their son.

And Kakashi won’t even let them in, let them lift that burden, not even a little. He’s _young_. He never deserved the burden of Naruto’s loss, especially not on top of Sakumo’s suicide.

“What makes you so sure?” Minato used to be certain, used to be 100 percent sure they would find their son. But it’s been so long.

Kushina’s hand finds his, pressing it to her chest, right above her heart. It beats strong and steady under their clasped fingers. “Miracles can happen, Minato. But you can’t stop hoping.”

_Where are you, Naruto? Are you safe?_

_We’re waiting for you._


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A kidnapping, and the resulting rescue!

_Where am I?_

His mind is strangely quiet.

Naruto breathes in, shifting just slightly, attempting to stretch out his senses. The room around him is dark, the ground beneath him hard and unyielding. His feet are bare, his cloak and jacket are gone, and his mask is stuck firmly to his face.

_What happened?_

**We were ambushed, child.**

Ambushed? Naruto attempts to push himself up, but his left arm crumples the moment he puts pressure on it, and his whole body tenses up from the pain. _How long have I been out?_

Kurama doesn’t answer, but Naruto doesn’t really expect him to. The fox doesn’t like being trapped, and if they’ve been somehow captured, he must feel incredibly confined. (It doesn’t help that Kurama is imprisoned within Naruto. He thinks he might be Kurama’s favorite human, or at least the most tolerable, but the fact of the matter is that he was still sealed against his will.)

**Catalog your injuries before you try to move again.**

_Right._

It’s sage advice, and something Kashi Two had taught him when he was still a little kid. Just before he performed a complicated series of hand seals while standing on a complicated sealing formula and disappeared from Naruto’s life.

He understands now just as he did when he was five, but he can’t help but miss the man, present and future.

 _Little to no use of my left arm._ He wiggles his toes and fingers, and then tries his ankles. The right one is stiff and when he tries to move it, pain shoots up his calf. _My right ankle is either badly sprained or broken._ His wrists move and his elbows, but it’s his left shoulder that carries injury. Upon further inspection, it feels swollen to his good hand, but that could be any number of torn muscles, a dislocation, or even a possible fracture.

A sprained ankle and a bad shoulder, and when Naruto attempts to sit up again, hot, searing pain wraps around his torso, sliding between his ribs and forcing his breath out of his lungs.

 _Broken ribs, then?_ _Possible internal bleeding. I’d know more if I could see the bruising._

_It can’t have been too long since we were captured, then, huh? Not that I get hurt often, but your chakra usually heals me fairly quickly._

**You would be healed by now if it weren’t for the chakra suppression. It’s not a seal tag. Best guess, one of our captors has some sort of chakra containment jutsu. There’s no healing you until the jutsu is released.**

Naruto doesn’t need him to continue. If his injuries don’t heal correctly, they might be in a world of trouble. And if his injuries don’t heal, escaping is going to be that much harder.

For now, Naruto has to be patient.

He’s never been a very patient person.

_Kurama, how is my mask still on?_

**I can only channel enough chakra to keep the mask on. Any more and the suppression becomes painful. It isn’t enough to channel into healing you, so keeping your identity safe is the only way to assist you.**

Naruto wonders if Obito will come rescue him.

(A part of him hopes Kakashi will rescue him instead, but he keeps that part locked up tight. He can’t afford to spend every waking moment missing Kakashi, or he’ll never be able to uphold his promise.)

/

“Hokage-sama, may I speak to you alone?”

Minato looks up into the eyeholes of the Dolphin mask, concerned. Obito rarely asks to speak to him in private, let alone _lately_. He’s been busy, though Minato isn’t sure with _what_. Dolphin and Kitsune so rarely fill him in on the missions they take.

So he sends three out of four of the guards out of his office, allowing only Leopard to remain. From what he understands, Leopard and Deer were Sandaime-sama’s most trusted agents, and Minato can understand why. The Hyugas and Naras are Hokage loyal as long as their Hokage has proven themselves trustworthy.

(He’s fairly certain they don’t trust Danzo as far as they could throw him, and he’s not quiet about his own distrust for the man.)

Besides, Hizashi was there when Tsunade informed Minato of Obito’s survival.

“What is it, Obito?”

When Obito pulls the mask away, he’s uncharacteristically serious. “Kitsune is missing.”

A moment passes. “Kitsune is missing? Obito, he’s ANBU level, _beyond_ ANBU level. What makes you think he’s in trouble?” _To be fair, I haven’t seen Obito this worried since…_

_Focus, Minato. Now isn’t the time to think about That Day._

Obito tosses his mask into one of the chairs at the edge of the room, pacing back and forth in front of Minato’s desk. “He’s eleven, Sensei! He’s never late for a rendezvous and _he never showed!_ We were supposed to meet at a roadside inn near the western border of Fire Country two days ago, but he didn’t come. I’m _scared_ , Sensei. I can’t lose another kid.”

An ache spreads through Minato’s chest that he’s unable to ignore. _What would I do were I in his shoes?_

_..._

“What do you need?” Clearly there’s something Obito is going to ask for. If he didn’t need help, he wouldn’t have bothered to inform Minato anything was wrong. It’s part of the Sandaime’s original deal with Obito and Kitsune (although, from what Minato understands, the Sandaime didn’t even know about Obito when he made the deal).

Obito pauses mid-stride, head down so Minato can’t meet his gaze. “Kakashi.”

It’s a fair request. Kakashi is a tracker, and he feels indebted to Kitsune, just as Minato does. “Okay. On one condition.”

His former student doesn’t even argue.

“Rin goes, too. You’ll need a healer if Kitsune is in fact injured.” After all, Minato feels it’s high time Rin learned the truth. She deserves to be in on the secret, too.

Another moment passes, and then Obito bows. “Hai, Hokage-sama.” He straightens, meeting Minato’s gaze. He has the kind of look on his face that tells Minato that this is more important than the Hokage knows. “Thank you.”

/

Rin isn’t sure what she’s expecting when ANBU Dolphin lands on the branch beside her, but by his stance, she knows it’s not a casual visit. He stops to see her every so often, though she has no idea why.

She’s not expecting a mission, that’s for sure.

She’s dumbfounded when ANBU Hound meets them at Konoha’s gate fifteen minutes later.

She’s even more dumbfounded when he removes his ANBU mask an hour into their trip and it turns out that she’s on a mission with Kakashi.

“What’s this about?” Kakashi finally presses when it’s clear that Dolphin isn’t going to talk without prompt. “Is it Kitsune?”

Dolphin stops on the next branch, waiting for them to join him before turning to face the two of them. “Kitsune and I were supposed to rendezvous two days ago at the western border of Fire Country. Kitsune is never late, but I waited past our time just in case. He never showed.”

“You think he’s hurt?”

“I think he’s been captured. Kitsune became the jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi after it escaped Kushina-sama. That information was classified by the Sandaime--Sensei doesn’t even know, Kakashi.”

_Sensei?_

_Why am I on this mission? Wouldn’t they take other ANBU members?_

“But--”

“I’m only telling you so that you understand the severity of the situation. Kitsune is younger than most genin, but he’s powerful and I owe him everything. I _will not_ lose another kid, Kakashi.”

_Another?_

Dolphin talks like he knows from experience, but he called Minato-sama ‘Sensei’ just like Kakashi does, and--

_Wait._

The ANBU reaches up and lifts his mask and Rin stares into the pale, scarred face of her long-dead teammate.

“ _Obi...to_?”

/

The second time Naruto wakes up underground (it has to be underground, he and Kurama agree), there’s a fight going on around him. He’s still slumped against one wall in the large room, but there’s a row of torches along the wall that are burning, providing enough light to fill the majority of the space around the new additions to the room.

One of the participants in the battle happens to be a man with pale skin and long, dark hair. He and Obito have crossed paths with the man once before, and Obito had explained later on that he was one of the three legendary sannin, one of Senju Tsunade’s former teammates.

Orochimaru must have decided that he wanted to use Naruto’s body for one of his experiments. _What sort of plans did you have for me?_

He’s facing off with three Konoha ninja, and though they seem to be holding their own well enough, it’s only a matter of time before the sannin gets tired of playing with them and grows serious, and then Naruto’s precious people really won’t stand a chance.

_Kurama, any ideas about how to get the chakra suppression off?_

**It must be done from the outside, child.**

“Rin, check on Kitsune!” Obito calls out, and Naruto blinks away the sudden brightness of Kakashi’s Chidori, feeling a little breathless.

_They’re not holding back at all. They better not exhaust themselves, or we’ll never make it back home._

He lifts his head when Rin kneels beside him, meeting her gaze. “Ne, Obi-nii told you? He’s not wearing his mask.”

She’s quiet while she looks over his injuries, only speaking to ask whether or not something is hurting him.

Naruto isn’t ready to give up, though. He doesn’t want her to be mad at Obito. If she needs to be angry, she can be angry at Naruto. Until he has control over Kurama, until he and Kurama can work together seamlessly, Naruto is a danger to his loved ones. The less time he spends with them, the better, so it’s okay if she’s angry with him. Everyone will be when he finally reveals himself. “He didn’t want to tell you because he was afraid he’d end up telling you too much.”

“Too much of what?” Rin asks softly, and her voice has lost the odd edge to it. She just sounds tired.

“Well, it’s complicated, but he really does miss you. Why do you think he checks on you so often?”

/

Kakashi isn’t sure what to think when Orochimaru releases the seal on Kitsune that’s suppressing his chakra and retreats. He doesn’t know what to think, because it makes no sense that the man would go to all the trouble of kidnapping somebody with Kitsune’s abilities only to give him up without much of a fight.

The moment Kitsune’s chakra was freed, the boy began to heal quite fast, but he’s still weak hours later, when they’re halfway home and camped out at the edge of Fire Country.

So Kakashi takes the first watch. He’s fairly certain that Obito and Rin need some time to talk things over, anyway. When Rin had seen Obito’s face, she’d gone completely silent but for one word--Obito. And Kakashi hadn’t known what to do. Surely she realizes he hadn’t been surprised. Surely she realizes Kakashi had already known. But she hasn’t expressed anything to him about the fact that he kept Obito’s secret from her, hasn’t even implied that she’s upset. After the fight, she’d checked on each of her teammates, like she always does on missions, and then she’d gone quiet.

Obito had pulled Kitsune across his back as soon as they were ready to leave, but Kakashi has the sneaking suspicion that it isn’t as easy to carry the boy as Obito wanted it to look.

But they make camp halfway home so that Kitsune could rest, and truthfully, Kakashi figures they can _all_ use the rest. Not only did they go up against one of the legendary sannin, but the last several hours have been an emotional roller coaster for everyone--Rin after finding out about Obito, Obito out of worry for his friend, and Kakashi out of guilt for lying to Rin.

On top of that, Kakashi can’t imagine what’s been going through Kitsune’s head. He’s only eleven, according to Obito. Initially Kakashi believed that Kitsune must have had a hard life, if he’s such an exemplary ANBU, but now he’s doubting that. The kid has hardly spoken since they rescued him, and since he’d been shirtless when they found him, Kakashi’s all too aware of the dark, ugly bruising on his shoulder and across his torso. He’s probably in quite a bit of pain.

He stays with Kitsune when Obito and Rin finally end up moving out of their range of hearing to talk, taking up a position only a few feet away from the boy that Obito is so very loyal to.

_He’s the same age as Naruto._

The thought echoes around in his head and sends his thoughts spiralling, but he’s unable to dwell on them for long because the boy beside him eventually speaks up.

“I’m sorry Obi-nii didn’t come home as soon as he was healed. He was concerned that the village would be suspicious of his survival and that they’d send him to Inoichi if they suspected he was acting as a spy.”

_Eleven years old and too perceptive. Just who are you? Why are you so grown up for your age?_

“It isn’t your fault.”

The boy rolls onto his side, curling up into a ball (the boy must be very uncomfortable--Rin herself had said his wounds had only healed quickly for the first few minutes he had his chakra back, and he’s beginning to wonder if they’re even worse than the child is letting on). “Yes it is, Kakashi-san. I’m the only secret Obito is keeping.” For a moment, Kakashi thinks he’ll say more, but Kitsune doesn’t continue.

“Did you lose somebody important to you? Is that why you hide, Kitsune?” Kakashi knows well enough what it’s like to lose somebody. There have been days where he’s wanted to disappear, to leave everything behind and focus on finding his most precious person, and maybe that’s what the boy is dealing with. Perhaps the boy had less people he cared about, and more of a reason to leave his home, to become somebody new.

“I didn’t lose them in the way you’re thinking.” Kitsune shifts, pulling Obito’s cloak more tightly around his small frame. “I was taken from the people I loved to save them. And I can’t go home until I’m no longer a danger to them. I’m not strong enough to control the Kyuubi, yet, which means I’m still too much of a danger to my family.”

Kakashi is reminded of Naruto once more, and shoves the thought away before it can begin to ache anew. “Have you ever thought of leaving something behind for them? A sign to let them know you’re okay?”

The young ANBU hums. “They don’t call you a genius for nothing, do they? I never thought of that.”

_I probably shouldn’t say I only brought it up because I wish Naruto would do the same._

(Kakashi struggles to sleep when Obito takes the next watch. He’s still lying awake when Rin takes the third watch. He doesn’t know why, doesn’t understand what it is about Kitsune that makes him think so hard.

And yet, when they finally pack up to continue the journey home, he moves to carry the boy before Obito gets around to it. Kitsune isn’t heavy at all. In fact, Kakashi hardly realizes he’s there, and that’s coming from somebody who doesn’t even like being _touched_.)

_Who are you, Kitsune?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and of course, if you have any questions, i'll do my best to answer them!
> 
> thank you for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> naruto's view on hospitals, a little healing, and a little angst

Naruto doesn’t like hospitals. They smell weird and they’re too bright, and the last time he was in a hospital, it was because Kakashi was badly injured and unconscious. So, yes, Naruto really hates hospitals.

It’s not that they aren’t useful and important--they are!--but he doesn’t want to be stuck in one while he recovers! He’d be just fine if he could go back to his cave and suffer in silence, but _no_ , even Obito declared that Naruto wasn’t allowed to leave the hospital until Rin okayed it! Obito! Who’s supposed to be on Naruto’s side!

He’s _bored_ , and his senses are on overload from the stupid cleaners they use, and the only person who’s come to visit him since he was brought to a recovery room is Rin to check on his injuries.

If he’s going to be alone, he’d rather be alone by choice!

He looks up from the book in his hand when the door opens, but his hope is extinguished when he realizes he’s not getting a visitor--they’re just bringing in another recovery patient.

He doesn’t fail to notice that she’s _tiny_ , though. She can’t be more than three or four, _maybe_ a small five year old.

When the nurse is finished with helping the girl settle, Naruto leans forward to see around the curtain separating them even though it makes his ribs ache. The cloth isn’t drawn all the way to the ends of their beds, though, so he doesn’t have to bend in half to see her face. (He’s really glad, because he really doesn’t want to make his injuries hurt any more than they already do.)

The girl is pouting, arm in a cast and a sling. It must be a bad break if they’re keeping her after treating it.

“Hi!” Naruto chirps after a moment of staring at her while she stares sullenly into her lap. She’s a pretty little kid with pink hair and green eyes, eyes that bore into his when she looks up in surprise. And then her tiny mouth turns up in a smile.

“You look funny. How come you’re wearing a mask in the hospital?”

He hides a laugh behind a cough, fidgeting with a loose thread on his blanket. “I wear a mask to keep my identity a secret.”

“How come?”

_Jeez, she’s a curious little thing, isn’t she?_

“Well,” Naruto hums, “I have to keep my identity a secret, because if people knew who I was, I wouldn’t be allowed to stay here. This way, I can protect the people I love and they don’t need to know I’m the one doing it.”

The girl makes a face, pout returning full force. “You can’t see your family?”

“Well… I can, but they don’t know who I am when I see them. I’m just another ninja to them.” He reaches forward and pulls the curtain back so he doesn’t have to lean forward to talk to her. “Does your arm hurt a lot?”

The girl shrugs, peeking down at it like it’s miraculously going to be healed. “They gave me some medicine, but I was hoping it would just get better.”

“Do you want me to try? I heal people all the time.”

“You’re just a kid!” She frowns, squinting at him. But then she looks down at her arm and back up at him. “Well… I guess, if you want to try…”

Narut smiles underneath his mask, watching her kick her blanket away and slide to the edge of her hospital bed to hop down. She has a bandaid on her knee and a few scratches on her shins, but the rest of her looks totally fine.

Well, aside from her broken arm.

“What’s your name, kiddo?” he decides to ask when he reaches out and places gentle hands on her shoulder and her wrist.

“Sakura,” she says, a little more timid now that she’s up close. “Haruno Sakura.”

“And how did you get hurt, Sakura-chan? It looks like you fell out of a tree or something.”

She lets out a tiny gasp when his hands light up with purple chakra, but she answers his question diligently. “I did! I was at the playground with some other kids and we were climbing, but I’m not very strong and I couldn’t hold on…”

Naruto nods, humming like he’s thinking hard. “Say, Sakura-chan, what do you want to be when you grow up?” He glances down at her leg when he asks to see that her scratches are already gone, and he’s willing to bet that her knee is healed, too. Tapping into this particular gift has become second nature to him, and while his healing ability doesn’t work on himself, he’s glad he can help others, even with the smallest of injuries.

“Well, I haven’t really thought about it…”

He can’t exactly blame her. She’s still a little kid. The only reason he’d known what he would be as a little kid--aside from being kidnapped--is that he’d looked up to Kakashi so much that there was never any doubt in his mind who he wanted to be like.

“You know, if you decide to go to the ninja academy, you’ll definitely be able to get stronger and climb trees all the time. But I bet you’re going to have lots of options, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much just yet. However, if you’re dedicated to this village and the people in it, it’s a good way to go.” He lets the chakra fade from his hands and releases her arm, leaning back on his bed. His shoulder is stiff and sore again, but her arm should be healed, if a little tender.

She’s still blinking down at her arm in confusion when he presses the call button and a nurse comes rushing in.

“I’m sorry if I worried you, nurse-san, but I think you should check Sakura-chan’s arm again.”

“It doesn’t hurt!” Sakura finally pipes up, turning to him with big eyes. “I wanna learn how to do that!”

Naruto blinks, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, you could always train to be a healer, but if you want to be a specialized healer, you’ll have to go to the ninja academy first.”

The nurse just looks between the two of them, confused.

/

In the week after Naruto leaves the hospital, he finds himself spending a _lot_ of time in the shopping district of the village, looking for something to leave in Kakashi’s apartment when the man isn’t home.

But it’s _hard_ , because he doesn’t actually know what kind of thing Kakashi would _want_.

Honestly, he doesn’t think Kakashi wants anything short of Naruto’s return, and sadly, Naruto can’t give him that. At least, not yet.

Even so, he knows that Kakashi will be angry and hurt when Naruto does reveal himself. He knows, and he understands, but it’s also something that Naruto is dreading, no matter how badly he wants to come home.

Besides. Naruto has a _lot_ to do before he’ll be ready to face his family again. He and Kurama are on good terms, but that doesn’t mean they’ve reached an entirely mutual symbiosis. He wants to be able to work on equal terms with Kurama at all times, to have an equal give and take, and equal footing. He wants to be able to trust Kurama whole-heartedly, and to experience the same trust in return.

They’re getting there. They are.

For now, Naruto can at least let Kakashi know he isn’t crazy for thinking Naruto is still alive. He may not be the little kid that Kakashi remembers, but he’s still Namikaze Naruto, son of the Yondaime and one of the last Uzumaki.

“Kitsune?”

Naruto turns, offering an unseen smile to Obito’s younger cousins. “Hello, Itachi-kun! Sasuke-kun!” He ruffles the youngest’s hair and turns to a less than familiar face. “And you must be Shisui-san! It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Itachi’s friend gives Naruto an indulgent smile. “I’m glad to meet you, too, Kitsune. Itachi speaks highly of you, but I have to say, I was expecting somebody a little older.”

Embarrassed, Naruto can only chuckle, ducking his head. “No, uh, I’m eleven? Say, are you guys any good at giving gifts?”

The Uchiha look at each other for a moment before Itachi steps forward with a small smile. “Who are you shopping for, Kitsune-san?”

He hums. “I don’t really know how to explain. He was my best friend before I left the village. He doesn’t know who I am, but I want to let him know I’m okay, leave him some kind of sign.”

“What’s your favorite memory with him?” It’s Shisui that asks, cocking his head.

A lot of his memories with Kakashi are pretty fuzzy, and it’s a real shame, but Naruto can think of one that always stands out and never fades.

He’d seen a butterfly in shades of blue and black and followed it. Before he’d known it, he was separated from his father and in a small meadow all alone, but back then, he hadn’t really understood why that scared anyone.

Kakashi found him, of course, and indulged him for a little longer before pulling his attention.

It was the first time Kakashi had shown anybody his face. Naruto knows, because he’d asked Obito if Kakashi ever took his mask off and the answer had been an exasperated ‘no, Naruto’.

“When I was little, I got lost following a butterfly and when he found me, he stayed to watch them with me. It’s my earliest memory of him, too.” He bows to them, wondering if they can tell he’s smiling. “Thank you. I think I know just what to get him now.”

Shisui offers one last smile before they part ways, but Naruto will be seeing them again. There’s something about the new generation of Uchiha that has him expecting big things.

/

Kakashi sighs when he closes the apartment door behind himself, kicking off his shoes by the door. There’s something gratifying about coming home after a long mission, something pleasing and relieving. And his home is quiet, as it always is, but there’s something _different_ about it.

It’s driving him crazy that he doesn’t immediately know what that something is.

Kakashi is a tracker. He can pick out different smells that even the Inuzuka get mixed up, and he prides himself on that fact.

His apartment doesn’t smell right. Somebody was in it for a very small amount of time, but it’s enough for Kakashi to _know_.

His footsteps are nearly silent in the house despite the fact that he’s the only one there--it’s routine and habit, Kakashi knows that whoever paid him a visit is long gone.

In the kitchen, a lone object sits on the empty counter, gift-wrapped in bright orange wrapping tissue.

_Somebody broke in… to leave me a gift? If I didn’t know Gai was out of the village, I could simply chalk this up to him, but… then my apartment would smell like Gai._

_It kind of smells like summertime… and grass… and fresh air..._

_It can’t be him._

He doesn’t know when he moved, but all of a sudden he’s at the kitchen counter, fingers twitching a few inches away from the paper. He knows he shouldn’t open a strange package following a break-in, but he can’t resist, he can’t, because _what if?_

What if it’s from Naruto? What if his silent plea has been answered? What if the boy he’d been willing to devote his life to is really reaching out to him?

He shouldn’t be getting his hopes up. Even if Naruto is alive (and Kakashi’s positive that he is), there’s no guarantee that he remembers his family, or Kakashi, or anything from his childhood. If he was kidnapped that night, and brainwashed, and trained as an enemy nin, there’s going to be a lot of recovery when they _do_ find him.

But Kakashi can’t resist. Even if it’s just a small chance, it’s a chance nonetheless.

He has to take the risk.

Finally, he takes a deep breath and slides a finger under the edge of the wrapping, pulling it up to unstick the tape and pull the box out. It’s not very big, but the moment he opens it, he understands why.

A dreamcatcher.

And glued to the thread is a handful of beautifully painted butterflies in different sizes and shapes, clustered at the edges to keep the center open.

The craftwork is pretty, and Kakashi can appreciate that it must have been on the pricier range of dreamcatchers, but that’s not the part he focuses on, because the second he lays eyes on it, he _knows_.

There’s only one person in the universe who could truly understand the significance of butterflies in his mind, only one person who could share the same reverence for that single moment in a lifetime of moments.

_He’s okay. He’s okay, and he remembers, and he doesn’t want to be found._

_Why doesn’t he want to be found?_

/

For reasons unknown to even himself, Kakashi doesn’t immediately go to his Hokage’s office with this new development. Even though he’s positive that his gift is from Naruto, it’s not nearly enough proof for anybody else, and Kakashi doesn’t want to get Sensei’s hopes up, even though he _knows_ -

He just can’t do it.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t try to track the son of the Yondaime down by the gift he was given, except--

Except he tracks the gift to a small shop in Konoha.

_‘Yeah, sold it just this morning, Hatake-san! I’d love to tell you more, but I’m afraid the kid that bought it was wearing a mask.’_

Masks.

_But why do you hide, Naruto? What are you hiding from? Surely, we could help you._

An eleven year old wearing a mask.

_Kitsune._

…

_No, that’s just ridiculous. If Naruto was that close, I would have pegged him already. It must be a coincidence._

Kakashi pauses his footsteps, looking up at his surroundings only to realize he’s followed a trail all the way to the fence surrounding the Forest of Death, the training ground that goes on for miles and miles and is filled with creatures big enough to swallow Kakashi whole.

_There’s absolutely no reason an eleven year old would come here unless they had a death wish. Or they fear nothing._

But, Kakashi can’t forget that Naruto, precious, wonderful Naruto, didn’t fear much. And every time Kakashi had seen him frightened, it was because Kakashi or one of his parents was in danger.

_But why would he still be in there?_

The answer is simple: he wouldn’t. And aside from that, the scent is different, now, mixed with something that isn’t _Naruto_. And that means Kakashi might be following the wrong trail anyway.

Either way, if someone went _into_ the Forest of Death, they must have come out, too, so Kakashi sets off to find the trail leading out of the forest by walking around the outer edge of the fence. It’s time consuming and tedious, but Minato-sensei had forced him to take time off, anyway, after his last mission, and he gladly spends the majority of his time off looking for Naruto.

All in all, the only thing that’s changed is that Kakashi has proof that his betrothed is still out there, still alive.

Eventually, he picks up another trail, but it’s even more faint than the last, and it leads away from the village completely.

The only thing he can think is that this is the trail leading into the village, and even then…

He’s still not sold on it being the same trail. It smells different, and Kakashi is fairly certain that the scent in his apartment is all Naruto. It can’t be him.

Kakashi isn’t ready to give up, though, so he returns to his apartment and finds the other trail, the one that doesn’t backtrack to the shop where the gift was sold.

It leads him to the rooftop, but all he finds when he gets there is Obito and Kitsune in the middle of an argument.

“--you crazy?! _You’re_ the one laying low here, so _why_ \--”

_Good grief. Their scent is covering his up, I don’t know which way he went._

_But why are they having an argument on my rooftop? What risk did Kitsune take?_

“I had to do it, Obito. Why are you mad at me? _You’re_ the one who wants me to go home already! And I can’t do that.”

_I never thought these two would argue, they always seem to be on the same page… Then again, that was before Rin knew Obito was alive, and before Kitsune was almost killed. Obito had been so worried, it’s no wonder he wants to put Kitsune somewhere safe and leave him there._

“You’re eleven! You almost died! You’re acting like it didn’t happen, but I was worried sick and--”

“Obito.” The boy straightens, dropping his arms and facing his--Kakashi doesn’t really know what they are to each other, actually. “You have no idea what kind of danger I am to the people around me. When you came to stay with me, I was still too young to understand the kind of danger I was putting you in, even though I know exactly what can happen if I lose control. Because it happened.”

Kakashi suppresses a sigh, leaping down from his side of the roof. Even if they had noticed him, he doesn’t think he heard anything too sensitive. Besides, his trail has gone cold.

 _Unless I’ve been ignoring the obvious and Kitsune_ is _Naruto._

A beat.

_No. I’m not that blind, if they were the same person, I would have figured it out already._

He sighs, heading back into the shopping district to find a restaurant. He doesn’t feel like cooking tonight.

(He falls asleep curled around one of the pillows on his bed, his apartment still filled with the scent of the boy who disappeared all those years ago. He doesn’t know if he should be relieved or hurt that he finally has proof.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys! let me start off by saying thanks to everybody who's still reading! it's been a little while since i posted, but i'm pretty settled with this chapter, so i hope you all liked it!
> 
> i'm going to be going to school in august, which is odd for me because i graduated high school three years ago and my life has been a rollercoaster ever since. but i finally feel ready to go to school, and unfortunately, that means i won't be writing as much as i'm used to.
> 
> that being said, i will finish this work if it kills me! i know exactly how this story is going to end, so i just have to get the ball rolling! fear not, i won't give up!
> 
> anyway, thanks for sticking around! leave some feedback if you want to! or not! no pressure! :)
> 
> UP NEXT: the fated Time Skip! Kitsune returns to the village after training on his own for three years!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three years have passed, and this marks Naruto's fifteenth birthday! Just how exactly is he supposed to celebrate?
> 
> With tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah! it's been, what, twelve days? i would have had this up sooner f i could only catch a break, but my family's going through some stuff right now and i didn't have the energy to finish this chapter until about 11pm yesterday.
> 
> it's 2am right now and i have to get up in six hours, so if the last section of this chapter isn't coherent, it's because i'm exhausted. :)
> 
> i'm not really sure how i feel about this chapter, but i like it enough and want to more forward with the story enough that i'm okay with posting it. and, as always, if you have any questions, drop a comment! tell me about it!
> 
> i hope you enjoy!

Kushina glances out the window after her family is seated around the dinner table and their prayers have been sent. It’s her son’s birthday, but instead of spending it hiding in her bed with only her husband as company, they decided to celebrate with Minato’s former students this year. Out of all of them, Rin spent the least amount of time with Naruto, but even she seemed excited when Kushina asked her to come.

She still feels like she’s forgetting something, and the melancholy in Obito’s face is what reminds her.

She glances again when her peripheral picks up on the glint of a white mask in the sun, shooting up out of her chair and breathing out an excuse as she rushes to their front door and catches up to the ANBU a few feet down the street.

“Kitsune!”

The teenager spins, arms waving in an attempt to keep his balance. “Y-yes?”

“When did you get back? You’ve been gone for quite some time, you know.”

The kid laughs, awkwardly scratching at the back of his head. “I just got back about 30 minutes ago.”

_ You’re growing up fast, aren’t you? Well sweetheart, you’ll always be a little baby to me.  _ “Why don’t you join us for dinner?”

Beneath the mask, blue eyes blink at her in a daze. “R-really?”

Kushina nods, wondering how it is that the boy she lost so long ago has always been right here, watching over them like a guardian angel. “It’s a birthday dinner, so you better run upstairs and at least wash your hands first. I’ll set another place at the table for you, okay?”

He doesn’t respond, but Kushina simply wraps her arms around his shoulders and pulls him toward the house, leading him inside. “Go wash up, kiddo.”

He nods, slow and stilted, but heads upstairs anyway. Kushina closes the front door and returns to the dining room. “We have another guest joining us, so please make a little room for him, okay?” She gives everybody her sharpest smile. The only member of their party that doesn’t flinch is Kakashi, but he does meet her gaze with a calculating look in his eye.

_ How he hasn’t figured it out yet is a mystery to me. But I suppose I would know better than them why he feels like he’s too dangerous to be around us. _

_ One dinner won’t hurt. _

When he finally appears in the doorway, Kushina simply directs him into a chair and places his meal in front of him. Obito gazes at him like he’s seeing a ghost. Kushina meets her husband’s gaze, but he’s watching Kitsune, too.

_ Probably wondering if he’ll take his mask off to eat. _

Kushina watches everybody slowly return to their conversations, thinking back to when she had her own realization. When she had heard about Kitsune’s kidnapping and Team 7’s rescue of him, she’d felt a rollercoaster of emotions. But it was Kakashi having dinner with them a week later, and explaining his odd conversation with the boy, that everything clicked.

But almost a month later, when her boy would have turned twelve, Obito came to see Minato in his office while Kushina was helping out with paperwork and he was as white as a sheet.

_ ‘Kitsune is gone,’  _ he’d told them.  _ ‘He left. He said he had work to do but he wouldn’t take me with him. And when I tried to follow him, he knocked me out.’ _

Minato, of course, had done his best to console his student, but Kushina… Kushina had finally connected all of the dots.

So, really, now, her only question is: who sealed the fox in her son, and  _ why _ ?

“Thank you for inviting me, Kushina-sama,” comes the soft voice of the boy to her right.

She shoots him a smile.

_ It’s not really a party without the guest of honor, is it, Naruto? _

/

The guilt  _ eats _ at him.

_ She knows. _

Kushina invited Naruto to his own birthday dinner on purpose, of that much Obito is certain. And that means that she knows that Obito knows.

And not once has he looked Obito in the eye since he sat down, even though they’re right across from each other, because

Because-

Because Obito had instigated that horrible argument the day before Naruto left, and  _ now _ …

Now the kid--the  _ teenager _ \--doesn’t trust him anymore. Obito doesn’t blame him. He was cruel, and Naruto had been eleven. No eleven year old kid should be faced with all of the things Obito had stacked on his conscience at the time.

( _ “None of this would have happened if you had just stayed put!” _

_ Behind his mask, Naruto blinks at him. “Wha--” _

_ “YOU! You  _ ran away _ that night. And everybody was worried sick! Your father was torn between finding you and helping your mother, and an entire search party was put together to go looking for you  _ long _ before the time traveler took you away! And don’t even get me started on Kakashi. He didn’t stop looking for three days straight, and even then it was because he collapsed out of sheer exhaustion. And I couldn’t even help him deal with it because I was dealing with the fact that I lost you!” Obito glares at him, hands balled into fists. “He had panic attacks for two years after that.” _

_ Naruto is completely speechless, but Obito can’t stop himself from making one last comment. _

_ “You really say you’re doing this to protect anybody?”) _

He’d been particularly nasty, had given the guilt trip of a century, had practically accused Naruto of acting out of selfishness, or for the attention, or as a joke.

Obito knows better. He knows better, but he still said such awful things. It’s no wonder Naruto doesn’t want to look at him. Naruto had entirely closed himself off after that conversation, had looked so empty and finished.

The next morning, he’d simply stated that he had training to do and he was leaving.

Instead of sticking around to talk, or to  _ not _ talk, Obito volunteers to help Minato clean up after dinner, and Rin says her goodbyes because she has the evening shift at the hospital, which leaves Kakashi and Kushina with Naruto.

The truth is, he wasn’t able to do much of anything for Naruto after all. Obito got so used to Naruto taking control and running things, he’d forgotten just why he’d stayed with him in the first place--he was a  _ kid _ . He’d been a kid.

He had even started coming out of his shell before the fight that brought them to this moment.

_ I don’t even know how to begin to say I’m sorry. _

/

**Now that you’re back, you cannot avoid the Uchiha brat forever.**

Naruto knows. He’s well aware. That doesn’t mean he can’t try.

When he’d reached Konoha this morning, he’d been pretty set on stopping to see his dad and setting up an apartment inside the village. He hadn’t really given much thought to the date, or whether or not one of his father’s former students would be in the village.

It hadn’t occurred to him that it was his birthday until his mother swept him into the house with a knowing smile and gentle words.

_ She knows _ , he’d thought to himself, and Kurama had hummed.

**If she knows and hasn’t pointed it out, she must understand your decision.**

But even so, it had been hard to take the only empty seat at his family’s dinner table to celebrate his own birthday as a third party member. It had been hard to sit down in the chair across from Obito and not start crying flat out.

What Obito had said that day had  _ hurt _ . Even now, three years later, Naruto can’t think about it without his heart twinging.

He’d trusted Obito to watch his back. He never thought Obito would turn around to stab him in it.

This is why Naruto had always been afraid to get close to people. He was a shy little kid, and while he can put on a brave face when he needs to, it gets really hard not to hide when he’s faced with new people.

And old acquaintances, apparently.

_ He made a fairly quick escape, didn’t he? _

**Coward.**

He watches Kakashi rise from his seat and excuse himself to the bathroom before sagging in his chair and turning to his mother.

And she smiles. “Welcome home, kiddo. Happy birthday.”

He nearly bursts into tears right then and there, and if it weren’t for Kurama sending as much comfort as the tsundere fox is capable, he just might’ve.

“Thanks, Mom,” he whispers, and he’s willing to bet she hears the tears in his voice, anyway. “When did you figure it out?”

His mother hums, lips curling down on one side, and reaches out to ruffle his hair. “I started putting it together after they rescued you from Orochimaru, but it didn’t really hit me until after you left Obito behind.”

Another twinge in his chest, this one sharper than the last. “Ah.”

“Do you want to talk about what happened between you two?”

He tips his head back, staving off another round of tears, and breathes a long sigh. “I…” Before he can continue, Kakashi slips back into the room, and Naruto wants more than anything to curl up in his arms like he had when he was little and something upset him, wants nothing more than to confess everything, to spill his guts and drop the flimsy facade of somebody strong-willed and sure of himself.

He’s so  _ tired _ .

His chest settles and he breathes easier, meeting her gaze again. Kakashi has taken Obito’s chair instead of the one he was seated in throughout dinner.

“It still hurts,” he finally tells her. “I didn’t think I’d still feel this hurt when I came home.”

His mother nods, and she doesn’t offer anything about Obito again, not in defense or against him, and he appreciates it. He’s hurt, and angry, but Obito is still like his older brother. He doesn’t want to forgive him, yet, but he doesn’t want his mom to be mad at Obito, either.

“Did you have a successful trip?” Kakashi steps in, changing the subject as a small favor.

Naruto would hug him if he was allowed. Kakashi would probably just push him away, so he only hugs him in spirit. “I finished training, and things with Kurama are really, really good. But it’s still scary, having his power at my fingertips. I don’t know if I’ll ever fully trust myself to use it.” He shoots Kakashi a small smile, even though the man can’t see it.

“Did you ever reach out to anybody? You said you wanted to.”

**I swear, isn’t he supposed to be some sort of genius? What does he need, a neon sign?**

_ Shut up, I can’t imagine how he feels right now. If he knew who I was, he’d be avoiding me even more than Obito. _

Naruto ignores the glance his mother shoots him, trying not to squirm in his seat. How can he say anything without giving himself away?

“I tried, but… if I say too much, I’m afraid I won’t be able to make myself walk away anymore. I don’t want to hurt the people I love.”

_ I don’t want to get you killed because I can’t contain the power I have access to. I don’t want to hurt anybody ever again. _

When his mom reaches over to squeeze his hand, he holds on tight,  _ grateful _ .

/

“Obito.”

Kakashi wants to understand. He doesn’t know Kitsune  _ nearly _ as well as Obito’s supposed to, so why had the teenager looked so  _ scared _ sitting across from him? The only thing Obito had said after Kitsune left was that he had some training to do and hadn’t allowed Obito to go with him.

So  _ why _ ? Why had the kid avoided looking in Obito’s direction all throughout dinner? Why did he seem so calm after Obito left the table? What had Obito done to him?

He knows he shouldn’t be so worked up over the teenager, but some part of him had gone and gotten attached and he knows hurt when he sees it. Kitsune had been hurting as plain as day. It was in his body language, his lack of conversation, and perfectly clear when he’d happened to meet Kakashi’s eyes.

Obito pauses on the steps leading up to his apartment building, but he doesn’t turn around. “Come upstairs.”

Even though he’s been there for nearly three years, Obito’s apartment is sparse. It’s where he lives, but it’s not really any sort of home. Kakashi’s apartment is the opposite, even if he finds it strange to realize something of his is more feeling and personal than something of  _ crybaby Obito’s _ .

“Tell me why the kid who seemed to look up to you so much couldn’t even  _ look _ at you during dinner.”

A moment passes before Obito turns to face him, looking completely  _ heartbroken _ . “I made a mistake, Kakashi.”

_ ‘I made a mistake.’ _

A  _ mistake _ is throwing away your brand new orange juice and accidentally drinking spoiled milk. A  _ mistake _ is putting your garbage out the two days before it’s due to get picked up.

A mistake is not blaming a  _ child _ for an accident out of his control. A mistake is not telling a kid that he’s the reason bad things happened.

Now, Kakashi knows that Obito left some things out. He can’t imagine how awful they must’ve been compared to the things Obito  _ did  _ tell him he said. He may not have the whole story, but it’s obvious that Obito had been unnecessarily cruel to a boy who’s already been through more than he should have to handle. What Kakashi doesn’t understand is  _ why _ ? Kitsune hadn’t left very long after he recovered from his kidnapping, but Kakashi can’t think of anything happening between that and when the kid left the village to explain what set Obito off.

Sure, he could ask Kitsune, but even Kushina hadn’t been able to get him to talk about it.

Kakashi’s not sure why he’s so worried. Maybe it’s because he’s seen how strong the teenager was as a child, and it must’ve been a hard blow from Obito for him to be so resigned now. That, or all of that strength he’d seen before was just hiding how lonely and hurting the boy really was before. Without Obito’s strength behind him, it’s no wonder he seems so stripped and raw.

_ Dammit, Obito. I haven’t been this disappointed in you since we were kids. _

Hell, maybe he’s aiming all of the care he’s bottled up since he lost Naruto at Kitsune because of their similarities. He barely knows Kitsune, but Kitsune’s been around for a long time and somehow, Kakashi started to care for him. He hasn’t been this angry at Obito in such a long time, and all on the behalf of a kid he hardly knows.

Whatever the reason, Kakashi wants to comfort him. He wants to, but he doesn’t even know where Kitsune  _ lives. _

“You look about as great as I feel.” Kakashi looks up from the ground, feeling a little stupid for being so focused he lost track of his surroundings.

_ Speak of the devil _ .

“Hey, where do you live?”

Kitsune blinks at him in confusion. “Well… Nowhere, actually. Not yet, anyway. I meant to speak to Hokage-sama about housing, but then Kushina-sama caught me for dinner and I realized what day it was, so… Why do you ask?”

Kakashi sighs, the two of them falling into step with each other. “I was going to come talk to you, but I realized I didn’t know how to find you. I talked to Obito.”

The ANBU says nothing for a long time. “I see.”

“He didn’t tell me everything, but he told me enough. I may have torn into him before I left.” He slips his hands into his pockets. “It was very cruel of him to say such things to you. Even if you hadn’t been so young at the time, those aren’t the kinds of things friends say to each other.”

Kitsune ducks his head, and Kakashi doesn't know what to do when he hears the  _ tears _ in his voice. “He was my partner for four years, but when you’re a kid and on your own like I was before that, you bond really easily with the first person that comes along. He was like a brother to me, and when he said the things he said, I didn’t know what to do. It was like a switch had been flipped and I just… shut down. The things he said may or may not be true, and as much as they hurt, a part of me always felt like they were true--”

“No. You were eleven years old, and he had no right to say anything like that to you. I’ve known Obito since I was maybe five? And he annoyed the hell out of me but he never, ever would have said something like that before. He made one hell of a mistake, okay? You’re not at fault here.” Kakashi hasn’t wanted to punch Obito so bad since he found out he was alive. His heart aches every day, aches for a kid he cannot find, but right now, it’s a  _ different _ kind of ache, and he opens his mouth before he even knows what he’s going to say. “Since you didn’t get to talk to Minato-sama, do you want to stay at my apartment tonight?”

It surprises him even more when Kitsune agrees without a second thought, but Kakashi discovers he doesn’t really mind. Kitsune turns out to be a very gracious house guest and despite the odds, Kakashi has no trouble falling asleep for once.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shisui makes a discovery, Naruto and Obito make amends, and Kakashi prepares for a month-long mission.

Kitsune has been back in the village for nine months when Shisui discovers his identity.

Well, discover might be the wrong word for it. Itachi straight up tells him. He looks Shisui in the eye during lunch one day and says, “I know you’re trying to court Kitsune, and it seems that he likes you, but he’s Hokage-sama’s missing son.”

_He’s Hokage-sama’s... missing son._

Why is he the Yondaime’s missing son? Why did everybody mourn him if he’s been right there the whole time? How come nobody talks about him?

“Are you joking right now, Itachi?”

His friend gazes at him cooly, unphased by his tone. “No. You’ve still got one eye, Shisui, I didn’t think you were totally blind.” He hums, placing his chin in his hand, and glances out the window. “Then again, even Kakashi doesn’t recognize him.”

“ _Itachi_.”

The prodigy of their clan meets his eyes. Shisui admires him, but more than anything, he wants to protect him from all the people who put too much on his shoulders. He wants to protect him more than he wants anything else, and if Itachi has this knowledge, that’s one more thing people will want from him. So _why is he offering it so freely?_

“How did you find out?”

Slow blink. “Sasuke described his face to me and then I confronted him about it when he got back to the village.”

_Little Sasuke has seen his face?_

But if Sasuke has seen his face, doesn’t that mean somebody else has, too? People have known about the Hokage’s son all along and haven’t come forward? “I don’t understand why he’s here but he’s not _here_.”

Shisui’s a little overwhelmed, and that’s probably why he’s pacing the length of his family’s dining room like a caged animal. Kitsune isn’t even sixteen yet. Kitsune isn’t some stranger who swept into the village and took the ninja world by storm, he’s the Yondaime’s missing son and a prodigy in his own right, he’s--

_Oh._

“I’m pretty sure I remember hearing that Namikaze-sama’s son was betrothed. He was engaged by the time he was three years old.”

Itachi sits up straighter, though Shisui hadn’t even realized the kid was slouching. No matter what, Itachi always looks completely put together, but now he might actually look a little curious. So rare, is it, to see any expression on Itachi’s face. It only gets worse as he grows up.

“Engaged to who?”

“Who do you think?”

_There’s absolutely no way I’m going to try to date Hatake Kakashi’s fiance._

/

“Uh, Shisui, why are you looking at me like that?”

Naruto’s been spending a lot of time with Shisui, so it wasn’t really much of a surprise when he got back after his last mission and Shisui hunted him down to ask him if they could meet for breakfast in the morning. But _now_ , he’s beginning to wonder what Shisui’s motives are.

“Itachi told me.”

It’s bad enough that he still actively avoids Obito because he can’t bring himself to face him, but now Shisui’s looking at him like he’s a ghost, and--

_Ghost…_

“Oh. _That_.”

Shisui makes a face. “Naru--”

“Not here!” he hisses, feeling exposed, heart in his throat. At least everybody else who knows is aware enough to understand that he’s keeping his identity a secret for a _reason_.

Obito’s kin blanches. “I’m sorry! Look, I’m just… confused. Overwhelmed. I don’t know.”

Naruto can respect that, but he’s a little surprised that Shisui is confronting him this way. Itachi had simply cornered him and asked if it was true, and his mother hadn’t even said a word--she just knew. Anyone else who knows had found out when he was still a little kid, and that was more because Sandaime-sama had figured it out and let his two most trusted ANBU in on the secret.

He sighs. “I’m sorry that you’re confused, but I sort of wish Itachi hadn’t just told you.”

“I think he told me more to get me to stop courting you than anything else. You have to be really special to court the son of the Hokage.”

Now Naruto just kind of wants to laugh. Shisui’s been trying to court him? Like, actually court him? Isn’t that out of date?

Don’t get him wrong, he likes Shisui! He really, really does. He’s friendly and intelligent and he cares about the people close to him.

But as much as he likes Shisui, he will never be able to settle for somebody that isn’t Kakashi. It’s kind of sad, and Kakashi may never forgive him for all of the secrecy, but there’s never a day where Naruto doesn’t wish he could go back to the way things were Before. Before he ran away from Obito and Kashi Two rescued him from certain death, before he had Kurama and raised himself in the most dangerous forest in Konoha. Before he leveled an entire village with his own two hands and nearly killed all the people in it. Before he realized things with his family could never be the same again.

He realizes he can’t exactly change the things he’s been through. Not the way Kashi Two had. Truthfully, he doesn’t want to. He remembers what he promised. He remembers the dead look in Kashi Two’s eyes, and the cough he just couldn’t shake.

(He remembers asking, in the dark of night while he was meant to be sleeping, why Kashi Two had come to him. He remembers the adult, half-asleep, answering that _his_ Naruto had died that night. That his life had fallen apart.)

“Shisui, I like you a lot, but…”

To his surprise, Shisui smiles. “But I’m not him? Believe me, I know. Besides, without permission, you can’t just court somebody who’s already engaged.” Shisui shrugs, but he doesn’t look as stressed as he had when they sat down.

_Wait._

“W-what do you mean, I’m engaged?!”

Shisui’s eyebrows shoot up his forehead. “Um. You’ve been betrothed to Kakashi-senpai since you were three. You didn’t know that?”

He can hear Kurama’s rumbling laugh, can practically feel it vibrating in his chest, but _no_ , he hadn’t known! How was he supposed to know he’s engaged?! It’s not like anybody has said anything! He barely remembers what he had for lunch yesterday, let alone something from when he was a toddler!

_Is it hot in here?_

“Are you… okay?”

Naruto breathes a sigh. Is he okay? He’s almost sixteen, half the people he cares about think he’s missing, he just found out he’s already engaged to the man he loves, even though said man doesn’t know who he is, and he’s too afraid of the reactions he’s going to get to reveal himself.

“Uhhuh. Great. Fantastic.”

Now Kurama and Shisui are both laughing at him.

/

She wants to tell him.

Kushina leans back in her chair and sighs, watching her son interact with his father in a discussion about the Akatsuki. Apparently, they’ve started making moves against the jinchuriki, although it’s earlier than Naruto was expecting and he wants to deal with them before they get out of hand.

She worries, though. He only turned sixteen three days ago and already he wants to fight another war.

Well, perhaps she’s not being totally fair. He doesn’t want to start an all out war, he just wants to deal with them quickly and quietly. But that pretty much means he’ll be fighting a war on his own. After all, the Akatsuki has several members, and all of them are either highly skilled jonin or ANBU level shinobi. Against a teenager who doesn’t have all the support he deserves.

So, yes, she wants to tell her husband that he’s helping his own son plan an attack on some of the most formidable opponents he’ll ever face. Because he’ll shut it down immediately and probably lock Naruto in his bedroom until he’s thirty. Just like Kushina wants to.

But she has to admit that eventually, the Akatsuki will come after her son, and if they manage to catch him off guard, she could lose him for good.

She follows him out of Hokage Tower and throws her arm around his shoulders to keep him from running away, but she’s not mad at him. She hopes he knows she’s not mad.

“I know you’re worried.”

_Of course you do, my little sun. I’m your mother. I’m always worried._

“I can do this, though. Besides, if I get my way, I won’t actually be fighting alone.”

That’s news to her. “So, who will you choose to be at your side? Kakashi?”

“No. As much as I would love to fight by his side, he’s already set to be out of the village at the time. Dad says it’s a yearly thing.”

Right. Every year, he requests a month-long mission to search for Naruto.

“When are you going to tell him?” She ruffles his hair when he ducks his head. Kushina knows he feels guilty, and honestly, as much as she’d like to assuage that feeling, she _can’t_. Kakashi has been suffering since Naruto disappeared, and where Kushina was ill, and Minato was busy, he never once stopped looking. He never once stopped believing that her son was alive, even when she and Minato had their doubts. He’s known since the day Naruto vanished that her boy was out there somewhere, and the only reason she hasn’t broken and told him already is because she understands Naruto’s reasons for keeping his secret.

“I don’t know. It’s been so long…, I know he’s going to be so mad when I do. And the longer I wait, the worse it gets.” He sighs. “But I don’t know if I can handle him being mad at me until everything else is taken care of.”

_You’re such a glass heart, Naruto._

Kushina can only imagine his struggle after his falling out with Obito. She never did get the details out of him. Or out of Obito. But she thinks Kakashi did, which is… about the least surprising thing, really. In between missions and holidays and meetings, she sees the way Obito and Kakashi avoid each other. Why is it, even when he doesn’t know it, Kakashi is taking her son’s side in everything?

_I never really believed in soulmates, but I think I might be starting to._

“Anyway, this is my stop.” He cocks his head at her, waiting. They’re outside of Obito’s apartment building.

“What’s this? You’re taking Obito with you?”

“Yeah. That is, if I can get him to stop avoiding me out of guilt. He looks worse every time we cross paths. Even Kakashi’s starting to feel bad for him.” He turns, pulling her into a hug. “Thank you for everything, Mom. We’ll be back before you know it, okay?”

A part of her wants to make him stay. To wrap him in blankets and curl up on the sofa with movies and junkfood and forget about the world, just for one night. To pretend he’s still the little boy he was when she lost him, to pretend he didn’t grow up in the forest with hardly any company, with too much on his shoulders.

“Be safe, sweetheart.”

She can see the smile in his eyes when he pulls away.

/

Obito doesn’t really want to answer the door. There are only a handful of people who could be knocking, and as much as he loves his kin, he doesn’t exactly want to talk to them right now. But most people leave after waiting five minutes. Whoever is at his door has been pounding on it for ten. At least.

It’s his day off. He wants to wallow. But he drags himself to his front door and slides the chain out of the hook, pulling it open to reveal—

The last face (or, mask, he supposes) he’s expecting to see.

“ _Oh_.”

It comes out breathy and hurting, and the second he steps back, Naruto is locking the door and dropping his mask so that they can look at each other face to face.

He’s so different. _So_ different than he was when he left, but still the same.

“Can we talk, Obito?”

 _Yes_ . _Please, please talk to me again._

He doesn’t manage to get the words out, but Naruto seems to hear them anyway. “I’m sorry.”

Obito feels like the wind has been knocked from his lungs. “ _What_ ?! Naruto, _no_ ! No, you didn’t do anything wrong! _I’m_ sorry. Kami, Naruto, I’m so sorry. I was—I was _awful_ , I had no right…”

Suddenly, he’s enveloped in strong arms, surrounded by a scent he hadn’t realized had become such a comfort. Naruto smells like summertime in Konoha, like fresh air and sweets and a little bit like ramen.

And after those thoughts fall away, he realizes he’s halfway to sobbing, and the teenager in his arms is no better off.

“I’m so sorry. You’re literally the best little brother I could have asked for and I completely blew it. I forgot how young you were, forgot that I wanted you to depend on me instead of depending on you. You didn’t deserve any of that from me.”

Naruto presses his forehead to Obito’s collarbone and breathes. Slowly, _so slowly_ , they both calm down enough to look each other in the eyes, bloodshot and puffy from crying.

“I know you didn’t mean to say those things to me. And I forgive you, Obi-nii. I’m sorry it took me so long to let go of how hurt I was.” And he smiles, wiping at his face with a sleeve. No matter how many years have passed, Naruto still looks like that little two year old that chased after a butterfly, or the four year old that disappeared, or the seven year old that saved his life.

_Kami, I totally failed you, Naruto. You saved my life and I swore I would stay by your side and protect you because Kakashi couldn’t. But it turns out I hurt you more than anyone else ever has, because you trusted me not to._

“Why didn’t your mother ever say anything to me?”

Naruto hums, dropping into a chair at Obito’s kitchen table. “I never told her. And you beat me to telling Kakashi, so…” He shrugs. “I didn’t want my family to fall apart anymore than it already had.”

Obito feels his face twist with guilt, but Naruto kicks at him from his seat, though the effort is minimal at best. “Hey, stop it! Look, I’m not just here for a reunion, I’ve got business to discuss with you, too.”

After a moment, he simply nods, pulling out the other chair and clasping his hands on the table. The mood has changed drastically, and though he feels better receiving Naruto’s forgiveness, he doesn’t feel like he deserves it. “Okay, Naruto. What do you need?”

(He’s not prepared for an entire battle plan, or to discover that they’re set to leave in two days. But Obito refuses to fail his little brother in all but blood ever again.)

/

_Obito’s changed so much. I’ve never seen him work as hard as he has in the last couple of years, and he was never a slacker to begin with._

Kakashi shoves one more clean shirt in his backpack and throws it over his shoulders, heading out of his apartment.

He hasn’t had a personal conversation with Obito in some time, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been paying attention to him. After his successful detainment of Danzo, and his hand in putting an end to the _coup d'etat_ , when most would be celebrating their victories and moving on with their lives, Obito had shrunk back in on himself.

Kakashi doesn’t want to care, but the man’s starting to look pitiful.

Sure, he hasn’t known Kitsune _nearly_ as long as Obito has, but for some reason, beyond all rationality, he’s still upset on the teenager’s behalf. Even so, Obito hasn’t exactly done anything to make up for it. He just hides himself away when he’s not on missions.

He’s become more antisocial than Kakashi himself. It’s kind of annoying. Kakashi’s supposed to be the paranoid shut in. After all, it used to be Obito and Rin who would attempt to drag him out of his apartment, and not the other way around.

Still, he doesn’t want to be gone for the month without saying goodbye to the people he’s found himself close to despite his attempts to avoid it. He already stopped by Minato-sama’s office, and spoke to Kushina when she had a lull in her training. All he really needs to do is stop by the hospital to talk to Rin and then locate Kitsune and Obito respectfully.

“Ah, Kakashi-kun! Are you leaving today, then?” Rin gives him a smile, the one she gives him at the same time every year. He’s grown so used to it that it feels more like she’s giving her blessing now than anything else, even if she doubts he’ll ever succeed.

“Like clockwork,” he says, and he slips his hands in his pockets. Rin nods once.

“Be safe out there, okay? Come back home.”

He wants to promise her that he will. He wants to. But things between the nations are declining again, and he knows he can blame a good deal of that on the Akatsuki organization.

The organization that Minato-sama told him Kitsune is going to be launching an attack on within the next handful of days.

_He’s still so young, sensei… I hope you’re right about this._

_Who do we tell if he doesn’t make it?_

Kakashi sighs, shaking himself out of his thoughts and raising his hand to knock on the door of Obito’s apartment. He’d looked for Kitsune, but hadn’t seen any sign of him, even after asking Shisui and Itachi, who he seems to be spending a lot of time with lately.

A moment passes, but he doesn’t have to wait as long as he was expecting.

It’s not Obito that answers the door, but Kitsune.

“Kakashi! Ne, are you leaving already?”

Kitsune is in Obito’s apartment. Does that mean they made up? “Ah…” He rubs the back of his neck. “It seems that way, doesn’t it? Is Obito home?”

“Yep!” Kitsune steps back, letting Kakashi in. “I told him he smelled so he’s taking a shower. Did Hokage-sama tell you about our mission?”

_Oh. Obito’s going, too._

That means two of his friends will be launching an attack on the organization that’s attempting to take the world by storm. “Yes, Minato-sensei mentioned it, but I wasn’t told who all was going.”

Obito steps out of the bathroom but immediately pauses, single eye blinking at him. “Oh… Are you leaving?” He hangs his towel off of the door handle and steps forward. “Be safe, Kakashi.”

It’s as if everybody thinks he’s reckless or something!

“You guys, too. Don’t think I won’t hunt you down if I suspect you’re being stupid.”

Kitsune chuckles, shaking his head. “You worry about yourself. We’ll be okay! We’re going to be meeting up with another ally, and there’s absolutely no way I can afford to lose.”

Kakashi can’t see his face, but he thinks Kitsune might be grinning at him. The least he can do is give him a smile in return. “Alright, then, I guess I’ll be off. Lots of ground to cover, you know the drill.”

He’s halfway to the door when Kitsune speaks up again.

“Wait!”

He glances back in time for fifty kilograms of teenager to barrel into his side. He’s ashamed to admit, even in his own head, that it takes a minute for him to register that he’s being hugged. Clearly, he doesn’t hug people often. Or, ever, actually.

He doesn’t know why, but he doesn’t actually mind Kitsune hugging him. It kind of reminds him of Naruto. Or what Naruto would be like, as a teen.

The thought hurts, but not as much as he expects it to.

Weird.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi pays Tsunade a visit, Obito and Naruto join up with Jiraiya, and somebody is faced with the undeniable truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, fair warning, Jiraiya's character evades me. i cannot write him very well, i'm sorry! still, i did the best i could and i'm happy enough with it to post!

The booth in the corner of the tavern is probably the most likely place you could find a shinobi. It’s a good vantage point, and she can see everyone else in the establishment, so Tsunade hasn’t really been all that concerned about keeping her wits about her.

She’s beginning to regret that now.

The shinobi that steals the seat across from her is well-known in most circles, and has had a bingo book entry since he was a pre-teen. That, and Tsunade had been friends with his father.

He doesn’t track her down every year when he goes on this ridiculous mission, but when he does, it’s because he’s having a hard time. And Tsunade is _not_ so great at helping out when others are down. She either deflects, or gets mean, or wants to fight their battles for them--but this is a battle that Tsunade can’t win. She doubts _anyone_ could win. Even Kakashi, whose tracking skills are on par with the Inuzuka, if not better, hasn’t been able to track down his Hokage’s son in almost twelve years.

Besides, if Jiraiya, who’s been all over the continent, hasn’t been able to find his prodigy’s son, and Tsunade, who never stops moving, hasn’t, then it’s unlikely there’s somebody to be found.

She won’t say it to the young man’s face, but it’s almost indisputable that Namikaze Naruto is dead.

“Shizune-san isn’t with you today?” His fingers ghost over the drink in his hand, but he doesn’t put it to his lips. Sometimes she wonders if he ever actually _drinks_.

“I gave her the day off. No doubt she’s using it wisely, it’s not every day I promise not to gamble.”

The Jonin hums, noncommittal.

What can she do but play along, like she always does? She may think his search is fruitless, but it’s no doubt that he’s committed. And there are very few people that Hatake Kakashi confides in. “I take it your search hasn’t gone well?”

This time, he snorts. “Like you expect any different. You’re not the only person who thinks there’s nothing to find, Tsunade-sama, but people don’t just _disappear_ .” His fist tightens around the cup, cracking the glass. “He’s very good at hiding, but he _left_ me something.”

_So much passion for a boy who’s been gone for twelve years. Just who do you think you’re looking for, Kakashi?_

“The very first time he went missing, he wasn’t even two years old, yet. He followed a butterfly into a meadow behind Hokage Tower, and I was the one who found him. He’s the only person aside from my father who has seen my face.”

 _Sakumo.._ . _He hasn’t mentioned his father since before Sakumo’s death._

“Five years ago, he left a gift inside my apartment. There isn’t a single person in the world who would know the moment well enough to leave the gift he left. He’s alive, Tsunade-sama, but he doesn’t want to be found. Somebody _trained_ him.” The utter surety doesn’t just fill his words, but his eye looks at her with more conviction than Tsunade thinks she’s ever seen. If anybody can find the kid, she might actually believe Kakashi can do it.

“Smack him for me when you find him, will you?”

/

If somebody had looked Obito in the eye when he was graduating from the academy and told him that he would one day end up throwing his life away for a teammate, he might have believed them. If that same person told him he’d be rescued by a seven year old jinchuuriki, he probably would have laughed and turned away. Better yet, if they had said that he’d end up pledging his loyalties to said seven-year-old, he really would have flipped his lid.

And yet, here he is, twenty-three years old and still happy to follow the commands of a person several years his junior. Happy to put all of his faith in Naruto’s hands and follow his lead. The boy is creative and clever, always working out new strategies when things don’t work out.

If somebody had told Obito that he’d keep a secret from his teammates for _years_ , for the sake of one boy, he wouldn’t have believed them. But he did, he has, he _still is_. Obito wishes Naruto would come forward, but despite all evidence suggesting otherwise, he understands why he hasn’t.

Sometimes, he thinks, despite Naruto being seven years younger than him, the kid’s a lot wiser.

“Are you ready for this?”

He shakes himself out of his thoughts, shooting his partner an incredulous look. “I’m not the one about to unmask myself, idiot. Are _you_ ready?”

Naruto hums, placing his hands on his hips. “No, but it needs to be done.”

Jiraiya had agreed to meet them in a safe house at the edge of Fire Country, sent word that he’d beat them there and set up privacy seals, so it’s no surprise when the door opens the minute they set foot on the property. Jiraiya’s no Kushina, but he’s fairly decent with seals, and Obito would be lying if he said it isn't something he wishes he could do.

Jiraiya pauses halfway out the door. “Uchiha Obito?”

He suppresses a sigh. The sannin sounds unimpressed.

_It’s better than ‘who’s this guy?’ though, right?_

Naruto shoots Obito a look, like he knows what he’s thinking. “I never told him your identity. Dad said Dolphin was coming, not Obito. I think it was out of habit, more than anything else.” Obito’s willing to bet that under his mask, Naruto’s grinning.

It turns out Jiraiya’s no different than he’s ever been: a pervert, easily distracted, and posturing as if they don’t see through him. It’s clear, at least to Obito, that the man does his best to bury all the things he wants to avoid deep within himself, but when faced with the things that they’re going to be doing, the facade falls away.

“So, we really are going after them,” he finally murmurs, when Naruto has finished explaining the plan he and Minato-sensei had formed. He hadn’t dragged his feet with the details, had been straightforward and concise, and Obito tries not to show how impressed he is.

“Ero-sennin, don’t look so discouraged!” Naruto, the king of putting on a brave face, stands. He’s confident in the plan, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t nervous. And as much as he likes Jiraiya, as much time as he’s spent with him, he’s pretending he’s not still shy as hell. Obito fights the urge to hug him. “At least now we aren’t just sitting ducks waiting to be ambushed. Obi-nii’s use of the sharingan is _damned_ good, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve that _neither_ of you know about...” He moves away from the table, pacing the length of the room, and Obito’s reminded, painfully, of the years he missed out on.

Despite Naruto’s forgiveness, Obito knows he has to make up for his failures. He just hopes, knowing the risk they’re taking with this mission, that he gets the chance to prove to his former sensei’s son that he’ll never screw up again.

_I’ll never forgive myself for letting you down, Naruto. But maybe, one day, I’ll actually be worthy of your forgiveness._

/

“Your seal work has gotten much better since I’ve seen you,” Jiraiya comments when Naruto opens one of his storage scrolls, and he can’t help but grin under his mask, turning to face him.

“Ero-sennin, there’s something I want you to know.”

The subtle humor falls away from Jiraiya’s face, the easy, confident front and metaphorical mask he wears vanishing just like that. Naruto reaches for his mask, pausing when the man opens his mouth.

“You don’t have to reveal yourself to me. I already trust you.”

Obito crosses his arms, leaning against the wall. Naruto clicks his tongue. “I want to, sensei. After all, I don’t know how well this is going to go for us.” And with that, he pulls off his mask and drops it onto the old, worn table.

The mask has become a part of him since it was given to him eight years ago, but Naruto can’t hide behind it forever. Soon, he’ll have to reveal himself to Kakashi, to his father, to the village. But for now, he just wants to look at his teammates and know they can see him, too.

The sannin gapes at him, mouth opening and closing for a handful of seconds before he manages to say anything.

“ _Naruto?_ ”

_Ah. It’s so rare to hear my name._

**Well, if you’d just face your fears and get over yourself, you’d hear it all the time.**

He suppresses a growl, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at the Fox in his belly. _Shut up! I’ll feel better once the Akatsuki are dealt with, okay? When we take care of them, then I’m going to tell Kakashi and my dad._

**Then don’t complain. It’s your own choice, kit.**

“I’m sorry it had to be this way. You can’t imagine how much I’ve wanted to come forward.” He expects the man to be angry, to yell at him, even if it’s just a little.

He doesn’t expect for Jiraiya to pull him into a hug, but he sinks into it anyway. Jiraiya’s grip is just on the verge of painful, but Naruto won’t complain. A hug is a hug, and he knows his immediate family aren’t the only people who cared when he disappeared. He knows he’s believed dead by most of the people in Konoha.

“I want to know everything, kid. Start at the beginning.”

_Damn, this is going to be a long night._

/

By the end of the night, all three of them have shed quite a few tears, but Jiraiya feels immensely better knowing the truth. It sucks, and if he wasn’t so relieved, he’d probably be a little bit pissed, but all in all, Minato’s precious son has been with them all along. And if Kushina knows, and is keeping his secret, Jiraiya will try to do the same.

The boy can’t hide the sorrow in his eyes, of course. Jiraiya can’t imagine how much of an effect the Kakashi from the future must have had for him to keep his promise for this long, but if he still doesn’t think he’s ready to come forward, Jiraiya supposes he has to stand by that decision.

After all, if the Akatsuki don’t know his identity, they can’t hunt him down. They have spies everywhere, so it makes sense that Naruto doesn’t want to lead them back to Konoha. They’re already after Rin and the Sanbi.

“Okay then. Where do we start? Who do we target first?”

Naruto grins at him.

Unfortunately, the days of preparation go by too fast, and Jiraiya finds himself in the middle of a battle within a month. And for all of Naruto and Obito’s confidence in the matter, Jiraiya’s just a little bit impressed with them. He hadn’t actually expected for things to actually follow their plan all that well. Obviously, the kid’s taken enough missions playing spy to know some of their movements, and some of their abilities.

At the edge of his senses, he picks up a familiar chakra signature, but it takes a moment to place it.

_What is he doing here?_

_Oh. It’s_ that _month, isn’t it? He must be heading back to the village._

The fight continues, and the chakra signature doesn’t move. At the very least, he’d expected Kakashi to eventually either move on or lend a hand, but since they don’t really need the help, perhaps the kid simply decided to observe.

Well, not that he can really be considered a kid, but--

Naruto turns when their second opponent is down, lifting his mask to grin at Obito like everything is good in the world, and Jiraiya thinks he’s probably the dumbest clever person he’s ever met. He can’t even pretend he doesn’t know Kakashi’s there, but clearly the other two haven’t sensed him at all.

_Nothing to be done for it now, Naruto. Your secret is out. Kakashi sees you, idiot._

Well, he’s not going to get in the middle of it. He supposes he better start cleaning up, then.

/

Kakashi really didn’t mean to cross paths with them on his way home. No, really, he didn’t, how could he have known where they’d be?

Okay, so maybe he took a route that he knew would pass a small village that the Akatsuki were known to frequent, but he _seriously_ didn’t expect to witness the sannin Jiraiya, Obito, and Kitsune facing off with two members of the organization. The surrounding area is all but destroyed, so it’s lucky enough that Kakashi found a place to observe where he won’t be located.

And honestly? He hadn’t realized exactly how _powerful_ Kitsune is. He’s never seen a jutsu quite like that, before, after all.

_So that’s what they’re doing. Going after the teams instead of the full organization at once. Eventually, the rest of them will catch on, but if they’re still hunting down jinchuriki, they have no choice but to separate. And so, Kitsune will strike. Clever. I hope it’s enough._

He plays with the idea of going down to join them, but Kakashi’s due back in Konoha within the next two days, and he still has one last stop to make. But just as he’s about to turn away, Kitsune turns to Obito and reaches up, pulling his mask off like they’re the only people in the area. Like he has nothing to worry about.

Their opponents are dead. If it wasn’t for Kakashi, standing just out of their range, they _would_ be the only people around. But the distance doesn’t stop him from seeing the teenager under the mask. Doesn’t stop the tidal wave of betrayal that fills him, betrayal and heartache and _relief_.

Because there’s no doubt about it. Even if it wasn’t for the blond hair, or the scars on his cheeks, or the blue eyes he’s seen under that mask at least a hundred times, everything else has already been screaming at him to stop denying the truth. He hadn’t wanted to see it before, because if sensei’s son--if _Naruto_ \--has really been here all this time, right under his nose, then Kakashi has failed him for years.

And in retrospect, the denial has cost him _so much time_.

Instead, when Obito sacrificed himself to save Kakashi’s life, he sealed their fates as they are now. All this time, Obito’s been privy to the knowledge that Naruto has been _right there_. He’s known for years, for _nine years_. So, who else knows? Surely not just Obito.

_Kushina. Kushina figured it out._

Another wave of betrayal makes him shiver. It’s not just a notion, it’s _true_. She’s been so affectionate with him, so protective and _motherly_.

 _Kami_ , and here Kakashi just figured she was taking him in because he was on his own for so long.

Not only Kushina, but he and Obito had to get the ANBU masks from _somewhere_ , and that somewhere was the Hokage at the time. Which means that the Sandaime must know exactly who he gave the Kitsune mask to. The Sandaime, and the ANBU guard on duty at the time, and now Jiraiya, too.

_All this time, he’s been here. He talks to me._

_Hell, he confided in me! It’s all so obvious!_

Despite being sure, being _adamant_ , that Naruto was alive and out there somewhere, Kakashi hadn’t expected to find him on this trip. He hasn’t seen him in twelve years, so he _definitely_ hadn’t expected to find him until he wanted to be found, but--

Kakashi can think of a hundred reasons to be pissed--a part of him wants to drop in unannounced and demand to know _why_. Why did he leave? Where did he go? Why couldn’t he just _tell them?_

 _Why didn’t he trust me? I would’ve dropped everything! I would’ve…_ _Kami, I would have left with him, if only I’d_ known _!_

Contrary to popular belief, Kakashi isn’t reckless. He doesn’t pop in and scream like he wants to. He doesn’t leave behind a note. He turns and he runs, because otherwise he really _will_ do something he might regret, and right now…

Dread fills him. Obito had told them, during the rescue mission when he was eleven, that Kitsune was the jinchuriki of the _Kyuubi no Kitsune_. Somebody took him when the fox escaped its previous container and decided to put the beast inside a four year old boy. Somebody turned him into a jinchuriki and dropped him in a forest to raise himself. Somebody took him from his parents, from the Yondaime Hokage, because of a danger his family was already familiar with. Kakashi hasn’t forgotten about the fox, but… That means _Naruto_ , his precious fiance, his favorite person in the entire world, is the person the Akatsuki wants most. To drain him of his bijuu. In other words, they want to kill him. Kill him, when Kakashi’s only just _found_ him.

Right now, he needs a drink.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru listens to his classmates gossip while trying to nap, Naruto has a serious question for Obito, and Minato discovers something vital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, there is angst. no, it's not what you think.

Shikamaru’s day started out the same as always: he slept in, fell asleep at the breakfast table (twice), and walked into his classroom five minutes late. All in all, he had a fairly average morning. His mom only yelled at him a little, and his father had that sparkle in his eye even if he kept a straight face--it’s no doubt the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. He can only imagine how lazy his father was when he was in school.

_“Well, I heard he used to live in the Forest of Death!”_

He sighs, pressing his arms tighter in an attempt to block out their noise. They don’t usually have Independent Study sessions, but sometimes Iruka-sensei has to cover the advanced classes, and for some reason, he trusts his students enough to behave. If Shikamaru had to wager a guess, he’d say it’s because his class is full of clan heirs or prodigies. For instance, Sasuke may not be a clan heir, not since his father’s arrest and one of his uncles taking over the responsibilities of the clan, but he’s at the top of their class and he’s never caused any problems.

And though Kiba’s wild and noisy, he doesn’t really do much to disrupt the class as a whole. He’d rather pull his pranks on singular people. That, or on the shinobi community as a whole.

He usually gets caught before he can succeed, anyway.

The point is, nobody in the class ever really gets out of hand, and those who _do_ usually get a beat-down from one of the clan members out of sheer annoyance. So, Shikamaru can completely understand Iruka’s trust in them.

But it doesn’t make it any easier for Shikamaru to ignore their silly gossip.

 _“Why would anybody want to live_ there _? It’s totally creepy!”_

And if Ino’s voice gets any higher, he might actually flip a lid. It’s bad enough he has to sit next to her, but he already knows he’s going to be on the same squad as her when they make it to genin. That’s just pure logic.

 _“W-well…”_ Hinata’s voice tapers off for a moment before she goes on. Shikamaru doesn’t really understand why she’s not very confident, but he kind of hopes she’ll grow out of it eventually. If she doesn’t stop being so timid, how is she ever going to be a shinobi? _“I saw him training once. H-he had solid clones, and they... were all fighting him. And he...”_ She squeals when Kiba leans forward out of his seat to hear her better, ducking her head. _“He saved me from a kidnapper when I was really little.”_

He sighs, giving up on his nap when Ino and Sakura begin to argue over who knows more about the Kitsune. There’s no way he can sleep with the two girls hissing like cats right beside him. “Will you girls knock it off already? Who are you talking about, anyway?”

“Humph.” Ino shoots him a glare, tossing her hair over his shoulder. “We were _talking_ about Kitsune! You know, that ANBU that’s _always_ wearing a mask, even off duty?”

“I’m pretty sure all ANBU wear their masks. If they aren’t wearing a mask, then you can’t call them ANBU,” Kiba interjects from his seat next to Sasuke. “That would be like the Hokage not wearing his robe. Or a jounin not wearing their vest.”

His logic is a little off, but Shikamaru can’t really be bothered to point out that plenty of jounin wear clan outfits instead of the regular uniform, and plenty of ANBU keep their masks on even when they aren’t on duty. And anyway, nobody would be able to tell if an ANBU _wasn’t_ wearing their uniform--their identities are secret.

“Why are you so worried about one ANBU?”

It’s not that he doesn’t share their interest, but his own memories of the Kitsune ANBU are, so far, quite different.

( _“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” How is it possible that he’s a Nara if he can’t even understand his first lesson as the clan’s heir? How is it possible for him to train as a shinobi like he’s supposed to when he’s failed the clone jutsu three times already? When his traps always come out like he didn’t even try, even though he did?_

_He can ace his way through every written test his teacher gives him (though he refuses to be anything but perfectly average), but the minute he has to put his knowledge to use, he fails. Every. Single. Time._

_“Hey hey hey, what are you doing? You’re going to hurt yourself!” An ANBU crouches beside him, stopping him from swinging at the training post anymore. “See, look, you’re all bloody. What’s wrong, Shikamaru?”_

He knows my name?

_It takes a moment, but when he finally brings himself to look at the ANBU’s mask, he realizes why. His memory is perfect, even if it takes a moment to sort through all of the things he remembers._

_The ninja is Kitsune, and he’s not actually all that much older than Shikamaru and his peers. He’d been the clan babysitter once or twice._

_“I know how to do all of it, so why am I so bad when it comes to_ doing _anything?”_

_Kitsune cocks his head, and it takes a moment for Shikamaru to realize that the ANBU has been healing his hands. Just like that. “What are you having trouble with?”_

Everything _, he wants to say, but he knows Kitsune wants him to be specific. His hands are healed, but Kitsune doesn’t let go. “My clones come out all wrong, and my traps always release too late.”_

_And Kitsune nods. “Well, just because you’re a genius, doesn’t mean everything will come easy to you. I bet your IQ is really high, but you don’t really care about being the smartest, do you? Do you want me to help you? I had a really good teacher.”_

_Shikamaru doesn’t point out that Kitsune_ has _to be good, or he wouldn’t be one of the elite ninja of the village._

 _“Please.”_ )

“Well, if he’s really out fighting some big evil organization, then surely he’s a real badass, right?” Kiba pointed out. “So how old do you think he is?”

“And more importantly,” Ino interjects before Shikamaru can reply, “I want to know what he looks like.”

“Tch.” All at once, the group turns to their resident prodigy, the girls practically swooning with that one little syllable. “You aren’t supposed to know what the ANBU look like, that’s why they wear masks.”

It’s a fair point. The only reason Shikamaru knows half of what he knows is because his father told him he’s in ANBU, and trusts him enough to share things that are common enough knowledge that Shikamaru _could_ have simply overheard it somewhere.

“Not only that, but an ANBU that wears a mask while wearing off-duty clothing probably wants his identity to be a secret to everyone at all times,” he adds, trying not to feel smug when Sasuke nods in acknowledgement. Shikamaru doesn’t care about his opinion, he really doesn’t! But still, he understands Sasuke’s superiority complex rarely allows him to show acknowledgement to anybody.

It’s so strange, when his older brother gives praise freely. But it couldn’t have been easy when his father’s treason had come to light, and Shikamaru’s not one to judge. It’s too much work.

Even so, he wonders if Sasuke knows more than he’s letting on. By the smirk on his face, he’s willing to bet that’s a ‘yes’.

“Did you guys know Kitsune is a healer?”

Even Sasuke, though he hides it well, looks intrigued. Healing isn’t taught as widely as Shikamaru thinks it should be, but the sannin Tsunade was the village’s greatest healer, and she’s been out of the village since before the Third Shinobi World War. “Did you see it in action?”

Sakura nods at Shikamaru’s question, looking a little timid. She isn’t _nearly_ as shy as Hinata, and she came a long way after Ino befriended her, but every now and then, he can see the echo of the girl that did everything she could to hide. “When we were kids, I fell out of a tree and broke my arm. I ended up in a recovery room with him, and when he saw me he offered to heal me. It barely took ten minutes before my arm was as good as new.”

It should be impossible. It _should_ be. But from some of the things he’s overheard, Shikamaru might just believe it. Because broken bones aren’t healed as easily as shallow wounds, and even the barest scrapes still need time to finish healing on their own--shinobi medics generally just help the process along.

But something about the awestruck look in her eyes makes him doubt she’s telling a lie, even a well-fabricated one.

“He’s the reason I wanted to come to the Academy in the first place.”

Shikamaru sighs. It’s troublesome, but it won’t hurt to back her up. Just this once. “He’s the reason I didn’t drop out last spring.”

He slumps against his desk with a renewed desire to nap, if only to avoid any questions.

/

Twelve years to the day his son disappeared, Minato waits for Kakashi to return from his month-long search mission before closing up the office for the evening. He’d struck a deal with Kakashi after the very first mission like this that unless he’d found solid evidence or had something else of import that needed to be shared, these missions didn’t need to be reported on.

The moment he’d sensed his favored student’s chakra enter the village, and Kakashi didn’t come, he figured he might as well be done for the day.

Besides, something has been weighing on his mind for some time, and Minato’s tired of waiting for Kushina to simply tell him what she’s been hiding. It’s not that he doesn’t trust her--he does, with his life, his heart, everything he has.

But he can tell there’s something she _wants_ to tell him. There’s something there, in the set of her shoulders when she’s gone very quiet, and in her eyes when she’s staring off into space.

“Good evening, darling. Is Kakashi back?”

He hums in assent, removing his robe to join her on the sofa, though he turns to face her instead of sitting properly. He’s not really prone to sitting properly anyway, not at home.

“I take it he didn’t come to see you then?”

“Kushina.”

His wife looks up from the scroll in her hands, head cocked. Gaze heavy.

“There’s something, isn’t there?” He wonders if he looks as desperate as he feels. If he sounds desperate, or if it’s just his imagination. “Something you want to tell me. But you won’t.”

He doesn’t imagine the way she ducks her head, posture going stiff. Her voice is tense and thick when she speaks. “You deserve to know,” she tells him. “More than I do, really. You deserve to know, but I… I don’t want to betray his trust. He trusts so few, Minato, and he has a heart made of glass.”

_Kami, what is going on? Who?_

“Kushina?” He wants to comfort her, provide steady ground, maybe take it back, but he’s just so _tired._ Tired of pretending he can’t see her conflict, tired of pretending he’s not just a little scared of what she’s hiding.

And something tells him that if he comforts her now, she’ll only push him away. Something in her eyes when she meets his gaze again. “Kitsune,” she offers. “He… Minato, do you remember when Obito came to you and told you Kitsune left to train? He’s the holder of the Nine-Tails. From what I understand, Obito said some very hurtful things, and it took Kitsune years to be able to reach out to him. If I betray his trust, knowing that…”

“But you want to tell me, and that’s what you’re struggling with.”

“He’s afraid of himself, Minato, and I don’t have all the information to know _why_.”

_It certainly explains Obito’s behavior for the past few years. It does raise the question: what could he have said to the boy to make him close off like that? He really must have broken his heart…_

He sighs, leaning back to look at the ceiling, despite the lack of answers it provides. “Okay.”

_I can only hope that this won’t all blow up in our faces._

/

“Obi-nii?”

Obito frowns, looking up at Naruto from across the map on the table. “Okay, I know that tone. What’s on your mind? You’ve been entirely too quiet today.”

Jiraiya doesn’t even look up from his manuscript, but Naruto still squirms under Obito’s one-eyed gaze. He knows he’s been quiet today, but he can’t help it! Kurama provided absolutely _no_ input on his internal struggle, and while he knows it’s a decision he can’t take lightly, he _wants_ a second opinion.

“How come you never told me I was engaged?”

Even Jiraiya finally looks at him. For some reason, he’s been actively avoiding an in-depth conversation with Naruto, but Naruto figures if it’s a big deal, he’ll crack and say something. And Obito--Obito looks flabbergasted.

“You’re engaged?!” they both ask, voices ringing out in the otherwise silent shack.

_Wait, if these guys don’t know, how come Shisui does?!_

“Well, Shisui said he was going to stop courting me the second Itachi told him who I was. And he said a big part of it was because I’m already promised to somebody.”

“ _Who_?” Obito spits, looking just this side of murderous. “Who did Sensei promise you to? Why would he do that?”

The hilarity isn’t lost on Naruto. He doesn’t remember his childhood as well as he wishes he did, but after Shisui had mentioned it, the original conversation came back to him in bits and pieces. At the time, he’d been far more interested in the snowstorm outside, but he’d still tuned in every once in a while, especially after he’d squirmed away from his dad to sit in the chair with Kakashi.

“Minato actually arranged a marriage for you?” Jiraiya sets his book aside, moving to sit at the table with them. “That doesn’t sound like something he would suggest, and _especially_ not something Kushina-chan would allow. What kind of person are they?”

Speaking of his mother, he really ought to ask if the arrangement still stands. He’d kind of rather be sure Kakashi was still agreeable before he makes it clear it’s what he wants.

“Do you really think they’d do it unless they were sure they were doing what was best for me?” he offers with a small, indulgent smile. They can get defensive on his behalf all they want, but he’s not upset about the engagement in the slightest. After all, his feelings for Kakashi have only matured as he’s grown up. It doesn’t matter to him if their relationship was strange from the start, because the most attentive person in his life was always Kakashi. And that never changed.

Even the time-traveler had made his mission about Naruto, and he’d almost been fifty years old.

But they only stare, uncomprehending.

He throws his hands up, exasperated. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. I really thought at least one of you would have known, seeing as _Shisui_ did!” He grins, feeling smug. “Not everyone gets the pleasure of saying they’re engaged to the Copy-Cat Ninja of Konoha.”

He thinks he’s justified in his laughter at the looks on their faces.

All comedy aside, though, Naruto can’t help but feel like, despite everything, it won’t work out. He doesn’t know if Kakashi will forgive him, even though there are few who would search for him with as much conviction as Kakashi has, who would refuse to believe that he was dead despite all the facts pointing to it after so long. There’s no guarantee that Kakashi will be able to reconcile the man Naruto is with the boy who disappeared at four years old.

/

He’d thought Kakashi had stopped avoiding him and Kushina.

Most of Kakashi’s missions are ANBU missions, and while he’s willing to give Kakashi as much time as he needs to get his head back on straight, it’s become a problem because he can’t _find_ him. Kakashi is one of his most valuable shinobi, more capable and level-headed than even the longest living shinobi in the village (that is, with the exception of the Sandaime and Minato himself, though he doesn’t doubt that Kakashi has the skill to pass them both up). 

Minato’s no tracker, that’s true, but whenever Kakashi’s struggling with something, he can either be found at the monument, the memorial stone, or--when it’s _really_ bad--his apartment.

But Minato’s already checked both the monument and the memorial stone. And he knows the second he sets foot in Kakashi’s apartment that his youngest student isn’t home, either.

He’s been back from his Naruto Search for two weeks, but Minato hasn’t caught a single glimpse of him since the night of his return. Kakashi hasn’t been this troubled since he was still in his early teens.

He’d really love to know where his student is hiding.

Minato sighs, walking through Kakashi’s apartment while something like grief ripples through his chest.

Because that’s that. Another year without his son. Another year hoping his son is okay, is alive and safe, is being taken care of.

His son is sixteen now, but Minato is of the mind that nobody will ever grow out of being taken care of, even if some people refuse to admit it. Or don’t even realize it.

It’s probably why he’s so attached to Kakashi--would be even if Kakashi wasn’t entirely devoted to finding Minato’s son and protecting him. Because Kakashi was always the type to hide his emotions, close himself off, and it only worsened after Sakumo’s death. He knows that Naruto played a much bigger part in getting Kakashi to open up than either Kushina or he himself did, but he knows his former student cares for them much more than he ever planned to.

He stops dead when he reaches Kakashi’s bedroom. He stops, because he’s not blind, and there’s a dream catcher hanging from his headboard that Minato _knows_ Kakashi would never go out and buy himself. And there isn’t a single person in the village who would have the audacity to give Kakashi a _dream catcher_ , let alone a dream catcher with _butterflies_ on it.

 _Butterflies_. Blue ones with black stripes and white spots, natives to Fire Country.

_Not even his teammates would give him a gift like that. He’d absolutely stab anybody who dared._

_Except for my son._

Which means that Naruto left it here, in Kakashi’s apartment, which his child had been in dozens of times before he went missing.

Naruto, who’s been to Konoha at _least_ once in the last twelve years. Naruto, leaving a gift that so blatantly says ‘I remember, I’m okay, I don’t want to be found’. A gift for Kakashi, that Kakashi was probably too stricken or hurt to reveal to anybody else. And maybe he was afraid nobody would believe him, or that he’d be brushed off, or that somebody would come forward and claim it a joke, but Minato _wishes_ , wishes he had known.

He doesn’t know if it’s a relief or a burden, but he wishes he’d known regardless.

_What are you hiding from, my son?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIED BUT IT'S NOT ALL MY FAULT, I SWEAR! I WHOLLY INTENDED FOR THIS TO BE FILLED WITH KAKASHI ANGST!!!
> 
> But [blukwolf](https://blukwolf.tumblr.com/) and i were talking and this is what came out of it!!!!
> 
> as always, thank you for reading! we gotta stick together in these dark times, and i know writing alleviates a lot of the stress for me! i hope reading maybe does that for you!!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gai is given a mission, Kakashi needs a shower, and Kushina shares a letter.

“Gai, thank you for coming so quickly.”

Gai nods to his Hokage, clasping his hands behind his back. He thinks he knows the reason for this meeting, but he’s not one to jump to conclusions without any proof, so instead, he waits. He doubts he’ll have to wait long.

“I need you to find Kakashi. I don’t doubt his will to live, if only to find my son, but he’s been back from his search for two weeks and I haven’t been able to locate him anywhere.” The Hokage stands, going to the window. “Something is different this time, Gai, and I haven't been this worried about him in quite a few years.”

“Don’t worry, Hokage-sama. You can count on me!” He puts his hands on his hips, grinning at his Hokage despite the somber mood in the office, and the Yondaime almost cracks a smile. “If I do not find Kakashi within the next hour, I will punish myself by walking five-hundred laps around the village on my hands!”

“Thank you, Gai.”

He doesn’t waste time searching in the obvious places--he’s sure that Minato-sama has already checked them, as well as a few places that Gai probably won’t think to look.

But he knows Kakashi better than anybody else, even if his friend doesn’t want to admit it. After all, he’s been the one to drag Kakashi home after one too many benders, and he’s the one who spends his free time distracting the man when he so clearly needs it. Perhaps the plummeting moods aren’t obvious to everyone, of course, but they’ve been friends and rivals long enough that Gai can recognize the signs after even a single glimpse of him.

_If anybody would have gotten to know Kakashi better than me, it would have been Hokage-sama’s child._

He only has to search two places before he finds Kakashi. It’s simple really--Gai’s not blind, and Kakashi has spent more and more time with Kitsune over the last year. The ANBU is unknowingly endearing to most that meet him, and he’s shy, but that hasn't stopped him from latching onto Kakashi like he can see how lonely the man is.

And for some reason, Kakashi has latched on right back.

At one point, he’d broken down and told Gai when he was entirely inebriated on a shared day off that Kitsune thought of Obito as an older brother and Obito had trampled on his trust in some sort of furious fit.

Now, Gai doesn’t know Kitsune very well (he’s a little suspicious that Kakashi is keeping them apart on purpose), but Kakashi had looked so protective over him in that moment, even as drunk as he was, that Gai couldn’t help but start to feel the same way about the teenager.

“Kakashi, open the door!”

He supposes he should be thankful that Kakashi seems to prefer dealing with Gai over anybody else when he’s drunk off of his ass. Gai, at least, won’t take too much advantage of him.

 _It’s strange, Kitsune doesn’t seem like the type to keep such a bare apartment,_ he thinks, stepping inside when Kakashi peels himself away from the doorway and returns to the sitting room.

“Gai, I found him.”

 _Found… Naruto?_ “You did, Kakashi?”

“He certainly played me, that’s for sure. And Obito--he knew! Knows!” Kakashi flops backward on the sofa, one arm dangling over the side. “He’s--he’s been right here, all along! And--and I completely overlooked him because if… if I had missed him for so long, then I was just an idiot, but it’s _him_ .” There are bottles of sake, empty and full, over most surfaces in the sitting room, and a fair few empty ones scattered across the wooden flooring. And between the scattered alcohol sit random collections of trash from instant ramen and a handful of dirty dishes. _At least he’s eating._ “You should have seen him, Gai, he fights like--like he was trained by ANBU. He _is_ ANBU!”

…

“Kitsune is Naruto?”

Kakashi’s head lolls until their eyes meet. “Kitsune is Naruto,” he confirms, and the pain is bright and present in his voice, would be glaringly obvious to even the most unobservant genin. “Kitsune is Naruto and he knows who he is and he doesn’t want me to know.” He pushes himself up, swaying from the alcohol and the effort. “Why… why would he work so hard to avoid me, Gai? Hell, he told Obito, and I can understand why Obito kept his secret--he owed Naruto his life. Which is… another thing altogether.” He growls, scrubbing a hand through his hair, and Gai feels something protective in him rising up like a tidal wave.

Kakashi is _hurting_. He’s hurting, and this time, Gai doesn’t think he can do anything to help. How do you console someone whose entire world has been actively avoiding him for twelve years?

Because Gai knows. Kakashi has loved Naruto more than his own life since the moment he laid eyes on him. And nothing in the world will change that, not even _this_.

And his heart breaks all over again for his oldest friend.

“Kakashi--”

“Kushina-san knows. So does Sarutobi-sama, and Deer and Leopard, and Itachi, and Shisui-san--they all _know_.” He slouches, resting his elbows on his knees to support himself from falling too far forward, and Gai fights the urge to hug him. Even after years, Kakashi doesn’t like to be touched. Even if Gai doesn’t fully understand it, he respects his friend and respects his boundaries. “They all knew, and they didn’t tell me.” His breath hitches in his chest, voice catching. Gai sits down beside him, leaving enough space between them to allow Kakashi some peace of mind.

“If Naruto is only avoiding you, why doesn’t Minato-sama know about him?”

A moment passes, and Gai suppresses a sigh of relief that he hasn’t said the wrong thing. You never can be sure, when it comes to Kakashi.

“Well… knowing Itachi, he probably figured it out on his own… And from what I understand, there was a period of time where Shisui was trying to court him, so… I can understand why Itachi would want to stop him and therefore risked telling him the truth…”

_Here he is. I knew he couldn’t stay sad for long, not when his mind is wired for logic._

“And if somebody accidentally left the right clues, I can see where Kushina-san would put the pieces together, but what I don’t understand is why she didn’t _tell_ us.” He leans back, meeting Gai’s gaze again with his own bloodshot eye. “And the Sandaime? Even though he’s known for years, he never dropped any hints… I can understand the ANBU. They’re loyal and if they were ordered not to tell, they wouldn’t break that. And I think they’re extremely loyal to Naruto, as well.”

_So are you, Kakashi._

“Forgetting for a moment that they’re the same person, what do you know about _Kitsune_? Surely he’s told you things that you can use to judge his character, yes?”

Kakashi hums, reaching for an open bottle and taking a sip. “He’s mentioned multiple times that he wants to protect his family and that he’s afraid of himself. He’s…” He looks away, leaning back into the couch. “He’s the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. He told me once that he was taken away from the people he loved to keep them safe, so I don’t think he left of his own volition.” His fingers drum against the bottle in his hand, thoughts running ahead of him. “Clearly, somebody convinced him well enough to stay away until he could control his abilities. And they knew that only jounin level shinobi _willingly_ go into the Forest of Death, because that’s where they took him.”

_Jounin level shinobi, who could handle themselves well enough in a fight if he lost control around them._

“I asked him once if he ever thought to leave something for his loved ones so they knew he was okay. He took my words to heart, because not even a month later, I found something from Naruto in my apartment.”

“What was it?”

“A dreamcatcher.” His cheeks are already pink from the alcohol--at least what Gai can see of them--, but they darken slightly at the admission.

Gai doesn’t think Naruto _wants_ to stay away from Kakashi. He latched onto the man the moment he got a decent opening, after returning from some training trip. _Probably to get the Kyuubi under his control, now that I think about it._

His posture straightens. “I overheard him telling Obito once that he knows what happens when he loses control, because it happened. I didn’t get to hear the details, but he’d sounded haunted.”

“And did it ever occur to you that he hasn’t come forward to you specifically because he’s afraid you’ll turn him away after all this time?”

“Why would I turn him away?! He’s still Naruto, he’s still more precious to me than anyone!”

Gai doesn’t think he needs to say anything else, but he does anyway. “Then instead of sulking, you should find a way to make him feel that security, don’t you think? It sounds like he’s afraid of being turned away again, after what you say happened with Obito.” He rises to his feet, remembering for the first time that he’s in a near-stranger’s home.

Kakashi sags in defeat, heaving a sigh. “First things first… I need to tell Minato-sensei.”

_That’s more like it! Welcome back, Kakashi!_

His friend is going to be okay. After all, his search is over, and that alone is a significant weight off his shoulders.

Gai only hopes the two of them can reconcile with less hurts between them.

/

Gai is a treasure. Not… that Kakashi will ever admit it out loud, of course. But his friend has always been able to point out the bright side of any situation, and the truth is, Kakashi is far better off because of him.

Kakashi doesn’t want to hurt anymore. He’s been hurting for twelve years, and he thinks Naruto has, too, so now it’s time to get _angry_. Angry at the one who took Naruto away, angry at the one who sealed the demon fox inside him, angry at Naruto for not coming forward after he gained control of the fox, and angry at himself for denying the truth for so, so long.

Angry at Kushina-san for keeping him a secret despite there being a good period of time where she was positive he was dead.

_Although, that may explain why she’s adamant about keeping his secret._

After he cleans up his disaster in Naruto’s apartment and drags himself into the shower, Kakashi locks the door behind himself and takes to the roofs, heading toward Hokage Tower. He doubts his former sensei has left for lunch, not if he sent Gai after Kakashi, and he won’t be surprised if Kushina-san isn’t in the office with him.

That's fine. He'd like her to know that he knows what she's been hiding.

The journey to the office had dulled his anger quite a bit, and he feels ten times calmer than he has in days when he finally gets there. They turn to him the second he slips through the open window, posture rigid and hands buried in his pockets. A part of him wants to ask for a mission and pretend the last two weeks never happened, but then he catches sight of Kushina’s curious gaze and he’s pissed all over again.

He doesn’t give his Hokage time to ask him where he’s been.

“I found him.”

He refuses to look in Kushina’s direction. Not even a glance. He doesn’t want to see what emotion will reflect in her face.

“Found who?” the Yondaime asks, blinking confusedly. Kakashi waits a moment, hoping the implication will sink in, relieved when it does. “N-Naruto? You found my son?” He pushes himself to his feet, at Kakashi's side in a moment and reaching for his shoulders like his sensei doesn’t know if he wants to hug him or shake the details out of him.

“Sensei, he’s been here all along.” Kakashi attempts to ignore his inner eleven year old, who just wants a hug. “We’ve all spoken to him. Had meals with him, gone on missions with him, been saved by him.” His voice breaks but he carries on anyway. “He was inducted into ANBU at age eight. Sandaime-sama knew who he was and chose to keep his secret.”

And Sensei stares into his visible eye, trying to comprehend the things he’s saying.

“Kitsune is Naruto, Sensei.” His glare is directed at Kushina, anger and hurt and relief warring in him all over again. “Isn’t that right, Kushina-san?”

Minato-sensei turns to look at her, too, releasing Kakashi’s shoulders. “ _This_? This is what you couldn’t tell me? _Our son was right here and you couldn’t tell me?!_ ”

But there are tears gathering in her eyes while she bites her lip, searching for something to say. “Minato…, Obito’s betrayal broke him! I didn’t want to hurt him by betraying his trust, I _wanted_ to tell you!”

Kakashi wants to scream, but on the outside he feels deadly calm. _“Telling us he was here is not the same as Obito telling him he’s the reason you nearly died!”_ he hisses, and then he can no longer hold himself up. His knees hit the floor and it’s all he can do just to breathe.

She must not have known what Obito said to Naruto. It’s obvious now, Naruto would never have told her. He might not have told Kakashi, either, if Kakashi hadn’t asked. Because Obito had only revealed so much, and Kakashi had been so concerned for the teen.

She didn’t know, but that doesn’t mean she was right in her decision. Whether she wanted him to come to them on his own time, or she was waiting for permission, first and foremost, she’s his _mother_.

But Kakashi’s the one who’s spent the last twelve years searching for Naruto in every country on the continent. Kakashi’s the one who blamed himself when Naruto disappeared. Kakashi’s the one who burdened himself with the weight of his disappearance every single day since it happened.

She may be Naruto’s mother, but Naruto is the first person Kakashi ever wanted to _live_ for.

So of course, she wouldn’t understand how betrayed _Kakashi_ feels.

This time, Sensei really does hug him, kneeling beside him on the worn rug. He takes comfort in the gesture, reminded of hunting the pair of them down in the hospital in the days after Naruto was taken from them. Kakashi has the feeling he’s not the only one crying between them, and he doesn’t bother attempting to stop. That is, until Sensei jumps to his feet. “I sent my son to attack the Akatsuki!”

Truthfully, Kakashi isn't actually worried about that. He’d only witnessed the end of the battle before Naruto revealed his face, but the three of them had held their own quite well. Honestly, he thinks the Akatsuki they were fighting at the time were well outmatched. He pushes himself up, drained and raw, and fights the temptation to put on his spare mask because his current mask is wet with tears. “If anything, I’m willing to bet that he’s going to succeed in his mission, Sensei. He came out unscathed after his first fight with them.”

_He really is talented. I wish I could have kept him from this life, but he seems to love protecting his home._

“I got a letter from him this morning.” Kushina stands, relinquishing said letter to her husband without protest. Kakashi won’t say anything, because it’s not his place, but he’s not blind to the tension between them. “He wanted to know if he’s still engaged.”

Something in Kakashi’s chest seizes.

_Oh, Kami, he was engaged to me. He was engaged to me, and I made it clear that he could break it if he wanted to…_

He doesn’t want Naruto to break the engagement. He may be hurt and angry, and the last time he spoke to Naruto as _Naruto_ , he was barely four years old, but Kakashi has also gotten to know him as a mature not-quite-teenager. Knowing they’re the same person, Kakashi can’t help but be just a little smitten on top of all of the other feelings he holds for his Sensei’s son. Because Naruto has always, _always_ , evoked something in him that nobody else could.

The Yondaime skims over the letter, glancing up at Kakashi after a moment. He looks mildly amused, if a little sad. “He’s hoping that if you can eventually forgive him, you’ll still be open to the idea.”

_Eh?_

Kakashi straightens, meeting Minato’s gaze. He feels like he’s being given a test. “My answer has not changed.”

The letter is passed to his hands.

...

_Dear Mom,_

_How is everybody? Is Dad overworking himself? Has Kakashi made it back yet? Is he okay?_

_We’re all okay! Ero-sennin is letting me and Obi-nii do all the planning, but I think it’s just because he wants to spend his time doing his ‘research’ and working on his manuscript. That’s okay, though, because we’re all working really well together._

_I kinda wish Kakashi was here, though._

_Speaking of Kakashi, I just found out before we left that I was betrothed to him! Is that still true? Are we still engaged? Because, even though I know he might never forgive me, I can’t help but hope he’s still open to the idea. I want him to understand my decision more than anybody else, and I want him to be able to forgive me when I’m done with my mission and come forward._

_The truth is this: when I was six, I leveled a small village on the outskirts of the Land of Wolves. There were no fatalities, but several people were injured, including a handful children. When I woke up afterward, an old man was tending to my wounds. He was kind to me, even after what I did, but I never forgot the horrified looks of the villagers as I was leaving. I never forgot the destruction wrought by my own hands._

_What if that had happened at home? What if I had hurt one of our villagers? Or one of you?_

_The man who sealed the fox in me knew that I would be stronger, but you don’t know how sad he was when he took me away. So I promised him I would save everyone._ _I know that I should have come forward a lot sooner, and I’m more sorry than I can ever say, but that doesn’t change anything._

_Anyway, uh, I’m sorry that this letter took a really dark turn._

_Even if you can’t give everybody my love, I’m sending it anyway._

_Love,_

_N.N._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gai's scene came out a lot longer than I intended, but I'm incredibly pleased that I decided Kakashi's angst would be told from Gai's point of view.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's been with me this long (not that long, really, but longer than I could've hoped), and thank you to everyone reading this for the first time!
> 
> Don't worry, I'm not ending it here! (Although it would be a good place to leave you hanging for awhile...) I'm going to be working on the next chapter pretty much for the rest of the night and tomorrow morning, but we'll see if I actually get it finished.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minato is still dealing and Kakashi receives a mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this needs proofread but i'm too lazy and i'm only just getting to eat lunch (it's 4:15 pm)

Minato used to have a hard time staying mad at his wife. They’ve had their fair share of arguments over the years, absolutely, but _this_? This is different.

If he’d discovered that his son was alive and within grasp, nothing would have stopped him from telling both his wife and Kakashi. And it’s not because he doesn’t understand why Naruto made the choices he did--he does! He knows how it feels to be the reason your family is in danger. He lives it every day.

However, even though he understands Naruto’s decisions, he also knows that they’re flawed. Kushina lived in the village with the Kyuubi and even when it escaped, nobody blamed her for it. If something similar to what their son wrote about in his letter had happened in Konoha, every capable person would have done their best to help him.

He believes Naruto would have been safer under their care.

But while plenty of people would be mad at somebody for pulling the same thing Naruto did, Minato is decidedly not. He wants to see his son, of course. Without a mask next time, hopefully. But he can’t find it in himself to be angry with him. He’s touched that his son would go so far to keep them safe, and impressed with the amount of training he must have undergone both before and after he left Obito’s side.

His son is a miracle and Minato just wishes he could hold him for a while.

(He can’t even begin to imagine how lonely his son must have been before he saved Obito, and how lonely he must have been after leaving him behind.)

But it’s been years since their home was so quiet. More than eight, if he thinks about it. Which he’s been trying not to do.

Their home is quiet, and he keeps falling asleep in his office because he doesn’t know how to exist in the same space as his wife and not start hurting all over again. It feels so far removed from the night he confronted her and she avoided telling him the truth, because she didn’t want to be comforted, and Minato hadn’t known how anyway.

This is different. _He’s_ the one torn between wanting to be happy that his son is within reach and _in contact_ , and wanting to continue giving his wife the cold shoulder that he feels is justified, even if it is a little unusual for him to hold a grudge. Especially against her.

There’s no doubt that he will love her until his last breath, and ever after, but for once, he thinks he deserves to be angry with her.

She kept his son from him. His _son_.

_How can I just let that go?_

/

“I summoned you here to give you a courier mission.”

Kakashi wants to complain, but things have been rough for both of them lately, so he simply does nothing instead. Sensei looks _exhausted_. If Kakashi wasn’t in his ANBU uniform, Sensei would probably say the same thing about him.

“I’m giving you this as partial punishment for disappearing for two weeks, but also because you’re already informed of the situation.” He hasn’t seen Minato-sensei look quite so intense lately. Angry? Yes. Hurting? Yes. Intense? Not quite. “I’m sure Naruto will be happy to see you no matter what.”

_What?_

“Currently, they’re somewhere on the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain. Their next attack isn’t planned for a few weeks, so if you’d like to take your time coming back, that would be alright.”

_I forgot how well Sensei understands me._

“Hai, Hokage-sama.”

“Good. This is the next phase of the plan Shikaku and I’ve come up with. I’m going to be promoting him to Jonin Commander very, very soon.” Sensei shoots Kakashi a small smile, his Hokage mask falling away to reveal his truer expressions. “What do you think?”

“He’s a good choice, very reliable. And he’s loyal to a T.” A part of him wants to shift from foot-to-foot, but ANBU don’t fidget. _Unless they’re Naruto._ “He’s kept Naruto’s secret for years out of loyalty to both the Sandaime and Naruto.”

Sensei nods. “Alright. Leave when you’re ready, Hound. You know what to do.”

Kakashi does know what to do. He’s done it at least a thousand times. He’s not even exaggerating. Kakashi has been in ANBU for years and the routine is second nature to him. He’s the best damn ANBU Konoha’s ever seen.

(He chooses not to think about why he used to take so many solo assassination missions. It’s not a healthy reason.)

By the time he finds them, they’re just beginning to set up camp, and he’s fairly certain at least one of them knows he’s there before he’s close enough to be sensed. He’s not sure how, but for some reason, he believes it anyway.

“Kakashi!”

He drops to the ground beside them, seemingly unaffected but actually rather puzzled. “Maa maa, Kitsune-chan, how unfair.” He offers a shallow bow, holding out the scroll Sensei had sent with him.

“Oh! Is this from Hokage-sama?” Naruto accepts the scroll and Kakashi takes a half-step back, decidedly not thinking about the fact that Naruto doesn’t know he knows the truth.

He wants to point it out, wants to drag Naruto away from the other two and remove his mask and just _look_. He wants to sit and map the changes with his sharingan (Obito’s sharingan), to beg for every scrap of information about what happened that Naruto will give him, to hold Naruto in his arms again and pretend, for a while, that they were never apart.

“Ne, Kakashi~! He said you can stay awhile if you want to!” Naruto bounces in place, but this time, Kakashi can hear the bravado in his voice, can see the curious look Obito shoots him from where he’s lighting the fire.

He forces himself to answer as he normally would, without all the desperation he’s feeling. “Hmm, if I’m welcome. Hokage-sama wants me back before you start the next phase of the plan, though.”

Something tells him Naruto is grinning behind his own mask. “Really? Of course you can stay! We only have a few things to do before then, and as long as we stay under the radar, there shouldn’t be too many complications.”

The four of them set about getting their campsite prepared before they settle around a small fire (aside from Obito, who had volunteered for the first watch) to discuss the next several days, but eventually Jiraiya wanders toward the small Onsen they’d (not so subtly) ended up settling near, leaving Kakashi and Naruto to their own devices. For some reason, though he’s not sure why, he feels like they’ve been set up.

“Can I ask you an intrusive question?”

 _Nothing is too intrusive, Naruto._ “I suppose.” He slips his mask to the side of his head, letting Naruto at least see a part of his face. Everyone in the group already knows his identity, so he’s not necessarily concerned with keeping Hound’s mask on.

“Uh…” He clears his throat, pulling his knees to his chest. “Are you… Do you… date?”

Kakashi almost chokes on the water he’s been sipping from his canteen while he waits. _Date?_ He wants to know if Kakashi dates?

Ah, but of course he does. He’s been around, but he doesn’t _know_. He doesn’t know that the level of Kakashi’s feelings for Naruto is far deeper than most relationships he’s had, and _none_ of those relationships were ever so ambiguous. His teammates and Sensei, Sensei’s wife, Gai--those are all entirely platonic relationships. Never once has Kakashi harbored anything deeper, more intense, then familial affection for any of them.

His feelings for Naruto have always been a little bit… different. More profound, almost soul deep. They’ve changed little-by-little as Kakashi has grown up, matured, _accepted_ , and now, now that he knows Naruto is okay, is alive and aware and _real_ , now his feelings are calmer. Still so intense, but not _desperate_.

“No, I can’t really say I do. I’ve been a little busy, you know?” He shoots the not-teen an eye smile. “Why do you ask?”

Naruto’s ears turn pink, but he glances toward Kakashi every few seconds, hyper focused. “W-well, I-I’m kind of, really, uh… not good with people? I was just, er, curious.”

Kakashi hums. “Maa, I don’t know if you know this, but I’m not very good with people either. And anyway, even if I was, I’m already engaged, you see?”

He meets Naruto’s wide eyes behind his mask, taking a new sort of pleasure at the way his neck and ears turn bright red.

“O-oh?”

He hums, glancing down at the book he brought along to hide his emotions behind (and perhaps in the hopes of staying on Jiraiya’s good side).

“Wh-who are you, uh, engaged to?”

Kakashi hides a smirk, glancing over the top edge of Icha Icha Tactics. “Well, I’m engaged to Hokage-sama’s son.” He pretends he doesn’t hear the near-silent squeak that slips out of Naruto’s mouth.

_Mission accomplished, Sensei._

/

Obito’s ninety-eight percent certain that _something_ is going on.

Seriously. Something is happening and he doesn’t know what it is.

_Just how much time did these two spend together while I was wallowing in my guilt? They’re literally acting like they’re the best of companions._

Even with everything Obito’s seen and done, he’s not very good at understanding people. He can understand emotions, but as for understanding the people emoting, it’s a little different.

_Is Kakashi… teasing him? He’s turning so red, is he okay?_

All in all, he really wants to know what’s going on, and after pondering and guessing for awhile, he finally gets an idea. So he sends a tiny amount of chakra to his ears to improve his hearing, tuning in at: “--I’m already engaged, you see?”

_Oh, Kami, Naruto wasn’t trying to pull one over on us! They’re really engaged!_

How hadn’t he known? Obito spent plenty of time around them when they were still a part of Team Minato, before Naruto’s disappearance and Obito’s near-death. Surely, he would have heard about the engagement, right?

Unless, of course, it didn’t come up in conversation until after he was crushed under a boulder. He supposes that would make sense, but he wishes he had known, regardless. Maybe he would have done things a little differently. Although, from the sound of it, Naruto hadn’t known, either.

 _If he had, would_ he _have done things differently? Sought Kakashi out earlier? Left him some kind of sign?_

If he had known, would he have understood exactly what that connection entails?

And that’s another thing: why is Kakashi even telling him this stuff? I suppose they’re fairly close even though he doesn’t know that Kitsune is Naruto, but if he hasn’t even told _me_ after we reunited--

Unless he knows.

_Have you finally figured it out Kakashi?_

/

Naruto’s pretty sure he’s never been quite this embarrassed before. And he doesn’t really understand why it seems like he’s being teased. Does Kakashi think he has a crush on him? He’s not necessarily wrong, but he’s not exactly right either, if that’s the case. After all, as far as he knows, he’s speaking to ‘Kitsune’ and not Naruto.

Either way, he hasn’t been this bright red (and he _knows_ he must be bright red with how hot his face feels) since he was training with Jiraiya and was forced to edit his manuscripts. Eventually, he got used to the stuff in those books, and by now, he’s had his fair share of bed partners (don’t _ever_ tell Obito), but Kakashi is _different_.

Kakashi is the only person Naruto’s ever wanted something _more_ with. He’s the only person Naruto has never felt the need to hide from, or pretend in front of.

Well, not including being Kitsune.

The point is, he never feels that pressing weight of expectation when he’s with Kakashi, when Kakashi looks at him. Actually, he feels freer than he ever has when he’s in Kakashi’s presence. It’s always been that way, for as long as he can remember. And maybe it stems all the way back to when Kakashi chose to be vulnerable, but only for Naruto. Maybe it’s because Kakashi has always, _always_ been there to indulge him, to comfort him, to hold him when the world is falling apart around them.

It’s been a long time since then, for sure, but Naruto doesn’t think he’ll ever _not_ want to be in Kakashi’s arms.

“Maa, Kitsune, are you too hot or something? You’re looking flushed, do you have a fever?”

Naruto squawks indignantly, hunkering down with his arms crossed. “Okay, now you’re _really_ teasing, aren’t you?” But he can’t keep up appearances when he hears Kakashi’s soft laughter, warm and low and just for him.

Suddenly the mask is too much, and Naruto wants nothing more than to take it off forever.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto makes his decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY. I FINALLY FINISHED THIS FREAKING CHAPTER.
> 
> you guys. i had the first two scenes written within HOURS of finishing chapter 18. and then i choked. i had no idea how to add to this chapter.
> 
> but i finally hecking DID IT. thank god. er, i guess, if you believe in god. i choose to thank ramen-sama.
> 
> ;)
> 
> (to my dear friend: yes, i said i would go to bed. i chose to finish this instead. it's after 3am.)
> 
> EDIT: i've added a bonus scene at the end of the chapter :p

Kakashi isn’t sure what he was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t _this_ . He thought his teasing had been fairly innocent, but then Naruto got just a little embarrassed (read: _very_ ), and in the next moment he reached up and slipped his mask off like it wasn’t something of a barrier between them.

The longer they stare at each other, the more wide-eyed Naruto looks and Kakashi feels. _Is this really happening right now?_

“You already knew, didn’t you?” he finally whispers, voice hoarse with something unnamed. His face is still soft with youth (Gai would be proud), but there are stress lines around his eyes, like he’s seen far too much for somebody his age to bear. The whisker marks on his cheeks have faded, probably from the lack of sunlight since he is constantly wearing a mask, but they’re still present, along with a small vertical scar on his right cheek.

(Subconsciously, Kakashi decides Naruto is going to be very, _very_ handsome after he hits his last growth-spurt and loses the rest of his baby-face. Not that he isn’t as beautiful and pure as he’s always been. Kakashi kind of wants to cry.)

“I witnessed the end of your first battle with Akatsuki members on my way back to Konoha. I passed through on a whim and would have stepped in if necessary, but the three of you handled the situation fine. As I was leaving, though, you took your mask off.”

He watches Naruto form a series of ANBU hand signs, _leave us_ , and when Obito is out of range, Sensei’s son _breaks_. Tears fall, his heart is right there on his sleeve, and Kakashi doesn’t know whether or not to hold him. Is he allowed? Would Naruto even welcome comfort?

“I’m so sorry, Kakashi.”

 _But I understand now_ , he wants to say. He doesn’t.

“I wanted to come home so much, but I couldn’t, I _couldn’t_ . He said--he said everybody _died_ where he came from, and if I couldn’t… if I couldn’t protect them, they _would_.”

“Who took you away? Who sealed the Nine-Tails in you?”

The blond meets his gaze again, looking torn but resigned. “You did.”

Kakashi’s heart pounds, _hard_ , beating a faster cadence against his sternum. “What?” He feels lightheaded. There’s no _way_ . He remembers every second of that night, remembers searching, and _searching_ for the boy he cared for so much.

A sniff. Naruto shifts, scrubbing his hands over his face. “It was you, Kakashi, but not _you_ you. He… he and Jiraiya made a seal that he used to travel here from the future. I’m not sure how _far_ in the future, but he was… maybe fifty?”

_Fifty year old… me?_

“He was sick, really sick, but after he sealed the fox and nearly died in the process, he took me into the Forest of Death and trained me for a year. When the year was over, he had to go back to his own timeline. He told me… he told me that in his version of events, I died that night. And bad things just kept happening, one after another. Dealing with the Akatsuki and getting rid of Madara are the only things left to do to save what he lost. I _promised_ , Kashi.”

Actually, he doesn’t really care if Naruto wants to be comforted or not. Kakashi reaches for him, practically dragging the younger male onto his lap. He needn’t have worried--Naruto has always been calmer when Kakashi is in his reach. Sensei’s son practically melts against him, curling into him like there’s never been any time between them, any space, any damaged men from the future spouting prophecies to save the world. (Kakashi has to admit, he isn’t really surprised if he lost his mind after losing Naruto. He invested everything he was into making the boy smile for three years, and despite knowing he was alive, he nearly lost his mind anyway. He cannot imagine what he would have become if he’d found Naruto lifeless. He can’t imagine Naruto ever _being_ lifeless.)

“Please,” he whispers against the shell of Naruto’s ear. “ _Please_ never hide from me again.” Kakashi doubts he could handle it. He doubts Naruto could handle it, either.

Kakashi has always been his own brand of broken, but somehow, through everything, he’s still here. He’s still alive, and the person he loves most in the world is here, too, in his arms, holding onto him for dear life. He thinks maybe he’s going to be okay after all.

“I promise,” the blond whispers against his neck, breath warm and mouth soft. Kakashi can feel his tears as they soak into his mask. “I promise.”

/

Minato doesn’t smudge his signature when one of his ANBU swings into his office through the open window, but he’s still half a mind to leave it shut one day on principle just so one of his subordinates thumps into the glass. Maybe he’ll get lucky enough that more than one of them falls for it.

He finishes the signature before he lifts his gaze, but all formality goes out the window when he sees Hound kneeling before him.

“Rise.” He signals for his guards to leave before asking Kakashi to remove his mask. “How was your trip?”

Kakashi slips the porcelain off, stepping forward and placing two scrolls on Minato’s desk. “Better than I had hoped, Sensei,” he finally responds when he steps back. His voice is soft, but Minato has known Kakashi since he was very young, and he cannot mistake the fondness he hears. “One scroll is from Jiraiya-sama, and the other is from Naruto.”

He waves Kakashi into a chair, sensing that there’s more he wants to say.

“I’m afraid I have to apologize, Sensei,” he finally explains, sitting ramrod straight in the chair he selected. “It turns out that my future counterpart is responsible for Naruto’s disappearance and jinchuuriki status.”

_Future… counterpart?_

“A time-displacement jutsu?”

Kakashi nods. “From what Naruto told me, it seems as though there is an alternate series of events where Naruto was not kidnapped that night, but died from extensive injuries after getting caught in the panic driven stampede.” There a small, but evident, tremble to his words. “The time traveler told him that both you and Kushina passed away that night as well, and that the world fell apart. There was a fourth war that was puppeteered by none other than Uchiha Madara, and when the dust cleared, very few of us were left to pick up the pieces.”

Minato doesn’t want to believe that three deaths could change the world so drastically, but from the challenging glint in his eye, it’s clear that Kakashi believes what Naruto told him.

The fact that Naruto told him anything at all must mean... “He revealed himself to you?”

His former student’s entire demeanor changes, the lines of his body softening, the icy hardness in his gaze melting into something warmer. The anguish he’s carried for twelve years is practically non-existent now, and the resulting hurt of Naruto’s choices is no longer so potent. What’s left is a young man who no longer looks as though he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, his Will of Fire burning all the hotter for it.

“I understand his choices now more than I did when I left, Sensei. I can’t blame him, because if our roles were reversed, I would have done the same for him.”

 _But that doesn’t really surprise me at all._ Minato sighs, shooting Kakashi a tired smile. “Thank you for looking after him, Kakashi.”

“I’m honored, Sensei.”

 _Don’t I know it._ “Alright. Take a few days off. Report to the mission desk Monday morning, and _don’t_ be late, okay? From what I’ve been hearing, you’re becoming just as bad as Obito with your tardiness.”

He catches Kakashi grin despite the cloth mask the young man refuses to drop. “Only doing my duty, Hokage-sama. Have to keep them on their toes, somehow.”

He suppresses a groan, shaking his head at Kakashi’s antics. His student gives one last salute before slipping Hound’s mask over his face and practically vanishing from the office. _Fantastic… Like I need another terminally tardy shinobi. But at least he’s happy._

Somehow, the thought makes him think of his wife, beautiful and fierce and _quiet_ . Kushina is not meant to be so quiet. He sighs. _Well… they can survive a few hours without me, all the overtime I’ve been putting in_.

He takes a page from Kakashi’s book and steps out the window.

It doesn’t take long to find his wife, who splits her time between her friends, their home, and training field two. She never trains when genin might get too close, so it’s more than likely that she’s either at home or with her friends. He checks home first, relieved when he gets there and hears her puttering around in the kitchen like she usually does when there’s something on her mind.

He leans against the door frame, content to watch her until it occurs to her that he’s even there. When she notices him, everything stops--her horrible humming that he adores, her movement, and _seemingly_ her train of thought, but Minato knows better than to assume she’s _not_ thinking.

He straightens, bowing his head. “I’m sorry.”

A single heartbeat later, Kushina slams into him, and Minato catches her as always, but it still takes a moment to realize she’s hugging him instead of hitting him. Her apologies spill from her lips in a steady chant, remorse for not telling him, for losing faith, for every hurt that might be between them, but it just feels _wrong_.

“Kushina,” he murmurs, holding her, “in a year or so, our son will be home for good. I haven’t seen Kakashi so lighthearted in twelve years. Our home is too quiet and I _miss_ you. Would it be alright with you if we just… forgive each other?”

Out of a thousand memories of holding this woman in his arms, this time is indisputably _different_ . When they first married, what seems like so long ago now, Minato never imagined they would suffer so much. And he _never_ thought it would be possible to feel so angry and betrayed as he has for the last month.

But-

But he thinks moving forward, they’re going to be all the stronger for it.

/

Nohara Rin is _sincerely_ tired of having to patch up her former teammate. As fond as she is of Kakashi, it’s getting very old seeing him every time he comes back from a mission--mainly because he’s, more often than not, incredibly injured. She’s starting to wonder if the man just doesn’t feel pain anymore.

But something is _different_ about him. In the last several months, she’s watched his mood brighten more and more every day. She doesn’t understand why, but she supposes _something_ must have happened to change his outlook on life, _something_ has managed to help him heal. The grief that used to follow him around is all but a memory, and Kakashi seems, dare she think it, _happy_.

“Kakashi-kun, it’s very unsettling that there’s an enormous gash in your side and you still don’t even look the least bit concerned. What’s got your mood so light? Did I miss something?”

Kakashi hums, eyes on the ceiling while she treats his wounds. He’s lying on a cot sans shirt. Fortunately, the rest of his clothes are in fairly decent condition, and it’s unlikely that he’ll have to stay overnight. Rin only needs to heal the worst of it before she can send him on his way.

“Well, Obito and Kitsune have earned themselves a vacation, they’re supposed to return to the village this afternoon. I haven’t seen them in months, and you haven’t seen them in even longer, ne?”

_I was wondering when they would return._

“How long do they get to stay?” She lets the chakra fade from her hands, reaching for a roll of bandages that she doesn’t think are necessary, but decides to use anyway. He rolls his eye at the gesture but lets her do as she pleases. Rin’s pretty sure he wouldn’t be half as relaxed with the whole process if he hadn’t been through the same routine so many times already.

_He’s nothing like he used to be. When he was at his lowest, Kakashi would barely be healed from a nasty mission by the time he was accepting a new one. He’d never really healed after losing Naruto. At least, not until recently._

_I can’t believe it’s been thirteen years since that night._

Rin can’t help but wonder what the village would be like if Naruto was still with them, if the Kyuubi hadn’t escaped from Kushina-san that night. Would they even know Kitsune? Would Rin even be alive? Or Obito?

Would Kakashi?

“Rin? Are you alright?” Kakashi pushes himself up when she steps away, shaking herself out of her somber thoughts. The last thing Kakashi needs is for Rin to bring up the event that’s hurt him more than any other.

Rin tries for a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking about where we would be if Kitsune had never come to Konoha.”

Kakashi rubs the back of his neck. “We’d probably be dead, to be completely honest.” She can tell there’s more he isn’t saying, but she drops the subject. Kakashi has always been a private man, and even if they are better friends than they used to be, she’s not one of his confidants. To be fair, neither is Obito, so she supposes she can’t complain. Neither of them have ever truly understood Kakashi. After all, he was only five when he became a genin and was placed on Minato-sensei’s team. Rin has always admired him, but now she’s perfectly aware that she will never fully grasp Kakashi’s level of depth. If he’s an ocean, she’s more like a small pond.

“Are you sure you’re alright, Rin?”

“It’s just good to see you happy again.”

/

The trio reaches the village an hour before dusk using one of the hidden entrances meant for ANBU. For the most part, they don’t want to run into anybody until after they can discuss their mission with their Hokage, but also because it’s simply _faster_ than going through the main gate.

“I get the feeling Hokage-sama will want to speak to me alone after we report.”

His companions hum in agreement and the three of them take to the rooftops.

Naruto has to admit, he’s a little bit nervous to see his father now that his identity has been revealed. Is he angry? Will he ask Naruto to reveal himself village-wide? Will he prohibit him from taking anymore missions, or assign somebody else to his current mission in taking down the threat of the Akatsuki?

He raises his fist and knocks on the large double doors leading to his father’s office, ignoring the nerves churning in his stomach. No matter what, the man is his Hokage and his father, and somebody he has looked up to for his whole life.

“Enter.”

Naruto is used to taking the lead out of the three of them--he doesn’t know why Jiraiya, a _sannin_ , looks to him for orders, but it is what it is--, so he doesn’t bat an eye when Obito and Jiraiya fall into place behind him. At least, not until the Jounin Commander gapes at them when they enter. Shikaku knows who he is, of course, and now so does his father, so when the door falls shut, Naruto reaches for his mask. It’s not even halfway off his face when he suddenly finds himself enveloped in the familiar embrace of his father.

_“You’re very lucky that I’m not grounding you to the village for the rest of your life.”_

But Naruto clings back just as hard as his father, relishing in the contact. _Too long, it’s been too long._ “I’m sorry, Dad.”

Another moment passes before his father reluctantly pulls away, Hokage mask in place. “Alright. Report.”

The three of them correct their posture and the Yondaime returns to his desk, arms crossed. Jiraiya gives his report first, and then Obito, and finally Naruto. The Akatsuki’s numbers have diminished by almost half, and Naruto is confident that they will be practically wiped out by the time he reaches nineteen. _And Kami, that’ll be the day._

“Obito, Jiraiya, dismissed. Shikaku, you can go.”

“Hai!”

The three of them filter out, and the Hokage signals for his ANBU guard to leave as well. When the room is silent, and the doors have fallen shut again, his father stands and waves Naruto toward the sofa on one end of the room. Once they’re both seated, Naruto tucks himself under his father’s arm and curls into him, letting _years_ worth of loneliness and anxiety slip away now that all of his precious people know where he’s been.

“I’m sorry.”

“Naruto,” his father hums, seeming perfectly content to hold him. “I understand your choices. I understand why your savior asked you to make them. However, I don’t completely agree with them.”

Naruto isn’t the least bit surprised. His father would have never wanted Naruto to do these things on his own, would have wanted to give Naruto as much help as possible. By now, the man has probably come up with a handful of different scenarios in dealing with the Kyuubi’s escape and everything following. The man’s a genius and Naruto is so, _so_ proud to be his son.

But Naruto is perfectly aware that if he had stayed in the village after becoming Kurama’s jinchuuriki, things would have gone bad very fast. Naruto wouldn’t have learned everything that Kashi Two taught him, and possibly could have destroyed his home and the people in it.

_He’s not mad at me._

“I should have come forward sooner.”

He could have after he had better control over his abilities. He could have, but he had been _scared_ . So scared. What if something happened and he _couldn’t_ control himself? What if they were mad at him? What if they didn’t believe him, or stopped trusting him?

_I’m lucky to be here right now._

His father’s arms are like a steel band around him, keeping him close. Naruto could probably pull away if he really wanted to, but he’s been deprived of affection for so _long_. And so have his parents.

“You’re so strong, I can’t imagine how hard it’s been for you.” His father clears his throat, emotions running high between them. “For so long, I believed you were okay. The longer you were gone, though, the harder it was to keep the faith… If it wasn’t for Kakashi…”

_Kakashi never doubted that I was out there._

“I followed your team to Kannabi Bridge,” he admits against Minato’s chest. “I was worried about you guys, so I followed your team. I knew I had to help Obi-nii, because Kashi Two told me what happened to him. I wasn’t so lonely after that. He knew he couldn’t come home without raising anybody’s suspicions. And if he had, and was sent to T&I, he’d be outing me. He stayed with me even though he wanted to come home. We both wanted to come home.”

“Naruto,” his father says, combing his fingers through Naruto’s hair and dropping his chin on top of Naruto’s head. “I want you to tell me everything.”

**Bonus**

Kakashi wakes to a warm body tucking itself into his side. If it were any other person, and he was anywhere else, he might have reacted differently, but not this night. Instead of pulling out a kunai and dealing with the threat, Kakashi simply pulls the body closer, content.

“Ne, Kashi, how long have you been staying here?” comes Naruto’s voice, slightly muffled by Kakashi’s shirt and the blanket around them. Distantly, he wonders what he ever did to deserve this closeness.

“Since I found out.”

Callused fingers trace his jaw and the side of his neck. “I wondered… The whole apartment smells like you.”

 _Ah… I forgot that the fox heightens his senses._ Kakashi hums, tugging the blond closer-- _his_ blond, _his_ fiance, his everything. For so long, _so_ long, he refused to think of him as _Naruto_ , and limited his thoughts to _Sensei’s son_ . Because saying--thinking--his name only served to remind Kakashi that he was unreachable, _gone_ , nowhere to be found.

But he’s _home_. He’s home for the next four weeks, four weeks that Sensei had suggested he take a vacation during, as well. Four weeks to be spent however he deems fit.

If he’s lucky, Naruto will willingly spend it with him. Actually, he thinks he’s justified in spending every waking moment at Naruto’s heels.

“I’m always gonna come back.” The words are whispered against his neck as if Naruto knows exactly what he’s thinking. The hand at his jaw shifts, thumb tracing his lips. “In case you didn’t know this, Kashi, I happen to love you more than anybody in the world.”

Something flutters in his chest and he rolls, resting all of his weight on the man in his arms, nose buried in Naruto’s hair. How can Naruto say such a thing to him like this?

“You never gave up on me. It didn’t matter how many years passed, you kept looking.” His hands bury themselves in Kakashi’s hair, tugging lightly. “And before… you were the only person… You’re _still_ the only person I feel safe with.”

Kakashi knows without Naruto telling him. He knows because it’s always been that way. Because every little detail he learned about _Kitsune_ should have been glaringly obvious to him--he wouldn’t have paid so much attention to anybody except Naruto.

It really is his own stupid fault that they’ve been separated for so long.

(He kind of wants to punch Obito in the face again for hurting his fiance, but it can wait until morning, at least. He’s already punched the man a handful of times in regards to Naruto.)

He doesn’t say _I love you, too_ . He doesn’t say _Never leave me_ , or _let’s just sleep while the world burns_ , or _I could hold you forever_. He doesn’t say any of those things, but he wants to. He wants to keep Naruto in this bed until Madara takes over and kills them all. He wants to kiss Naruto until all the oxygen has left their lungs and they suffocate themselves. He wants to permanently attach himself to Naruto’s side so that the blond never leaves his sight again.

He settles for, “I’ll always look for you.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Seven and their... senseis? As in more than one? What?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter has not been thoroughly proofread, and all mistakes are mine...
> 
> i'm sorry it took so long you guys, i've had the absolute WORST week. i wasn't able to write at all, so the entire last scene was written in less than two hours tonight (8/18/20). the rest of the chapter has been finished for... a few weeks? honestly, idek...
> 
> things will be getting better very soon, so i just want to thank you all for sticking with me. at least it's still the same year i started writing this monster, right? :)
> 
> disclaimer: i do not own naruto!
> 
> uh... firm reminder that this is canon rewrite, and now we're finally getting into original naruto canon! sorta!
> 
> edit: yo! this chapter is a time skip chapter! Naruto is nineteen now! i have a bunch of confused people in my comments, i'm so sorry!!!

_I’ll show Sasuke-kun that I can be a great kunoichi! Then he’ll have to acknowledge that I belong on Team Seven just like he does!_

Sakura kicks a stray rock off the path in front of her, staring out the big gates of the village with her arms crossed. She didn’t think that the security would be so lax, but there’s only one chunin guarding the gates from what she can see, and he’s sound asleep, drool pooling on the desk beneath his head.

She’s about to turn around and head back into the village proper when she hears it: a horrible, wet, hacking cough that makes her stomach roll. She doesn’t know much about medicine, yet, but she knows as well as the next person that a cough like that can only mean one thing--lung damage. Sakura tiptoes closer to the gateway, glancing around the wall and hoping that she doesn’t get caught. _Maybe it’s an animal? Or somebody with a really bad cold-_

It’s not an animal. It’s not somebody with a cold.

It’s _Kitsune_ , and he’s _injured_ . _Badly injured_. There’s blood all over the place, what’s left of his clothes is in tatters.

Sakura spins toward the gate guard and _shouts_.

She doesn’t know how it happens, exactly, but somehow, she ends up being stationed in Kitsune’s hospital room to keep watch over him, because _“You’re a genin now and until we get answers, Kitsune must be attended 24 hours a day.”_

It’s not that she doesn’t want to stay and watch over him, but what if Kakashi-sensei kicks her off the team because she doesn’t show up for their evening missions? Will she have to go back to the academy?

_Don’t be silly, Sakura. Kakashi-sensei will understand that these are special circumstances._

She shakes herself out of her thoughts, returning her focus to the ANBU on the bed beside her. Most of his body is wrapped in gauze and medical tape, but the patches of skin she can see are pale and still speckled with blood.

His mask had been cracked and bloodied when she found him collapsed against a tree outside the gate. Without it, his hair is no longer a muddy brown, but _blond_. Blond like the Yondaime Hokage.

_The Hokage’s lost son?_

But if Kitsune _is_ the missing son…, why is he still considered missing?

Because of _this_? Because of the person who did this to him?

Well. She supposes it’s none of her business who he really is. From what she’s gathered about Kitsune, he’s kind-hearted and strong. He’s done a lot to save the village and is one of the most powerful shinobi in Fire Country. And despite his talent, he’s probably one of the nicest people she’s ever met.

Sakura hopes he wakes up.

How old had he been when she met him all those years ago? He’d been young, absolutely. The kunoichi thinks he might have even been younger than she is now! _An ANBU at that age… Kitsune really is incredible._

Whoever did this to him must have been equally as powerful.

A small gasp escapes her when Kitsune’s hand twitches, followed by a low groan. The man blinks one eye open, staring at the ceiling for a long, breathless moment. She breathes a sigh of relief when he hums thoughtfully, like he’s trying to decide something.

“Kitsune?” she asks quietly.

The man’s eye finds her and lights up in recognition. “Ne… Sakura-chan.” His voice is hoarse and thick, so Sakura reaches for a cup and the pitcher of water on the table nearby, dropping a straw in it before holding it close enough for him to drink out of. He downs two glasses before he drops his head back (probably a stupid move considering the amount of damage to his body, but she’s no healer so she can’t say anything). “Thanks… You found me?”

Sakura’s fairly certain that somebody who came into the hospital in critical condition only hours ago should not be awake and making conversation; however, this man is no ordinary shinobi, so Sakura doesn’t call for help. If something’s really wrong, he’ll say something, right?

“Yes. You collapsed just outside the gates, and if I hadn’t been around, it might have been hours before anybody found you, because the gate guard was sound asleep and drooling all over his paperwork.” Sakura pokes at his hand. “I was really scared at first, you know? I thought you were gonna die.”

Kitsune hums, wrapping his hand around hers with a fond look in his eye. “Ne, I’m pretty hard to kill. You should see the other guy.” He clears his throat, gesturing to her hitai-ate. “You’re a genin now, huh?”

She can’t help but grin. “That’s right! But… Sasuke-kun said I was just going to hold him back and if our team doesn’t have three members plus Sensei, he might as well be on a team by himself.”

Kitsune makes a face, clucking his tongue. “Fortunately, I’m friends with Sasuke’s big brother. If you want, I could say something to him.”

The offer is honestly tempting, but Sakura shakes her head. She’s a shinobi now, and that means she needs to be able to fight her own battles, so she tells him as much. He looks proud of her for the admission.

“Who’s your sensei?”

“That lazy pervert?!”

For some reason, Kitsune grins. “Kakashi, huh? I don’t know, Sakura, Kakashi’s one of the strongest shinobi Konoha’s ever seen. You should give him a chance.”

 _Yeah, well, you’re cooler._ She must not hide her pout very well, because the injured man laughs at her.

“So, it’s just the three of you on the team, then? No other genin?”

“We didn’t have enough classmates, and when we were assigned, Iruka-sensei said that there was a note on our sheet about a second sensei. Somebody out of the village on a mission.”

Kitsune squeezes her hand for a moment before letting go and pushing himself up as slowly as possible.

“Um… are you sure you should be moving?” Sakura slips out of her chair, hands hovering despite not knowing what she can do to help. “What can I do?”

“Ne,” his voice comes out strained, “fix the pillows behind me to help prop me up?” He smiles at her after she sits back down, hands working to unwrap the bandages around his arms. Some of the wounds she had seen before are healed completely, not even scars left behind, but others are still healing, though they’re mostly scabbed over. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say they were a few weeks old.

“Your healing ability really is incredible,” she breathes. She can barely peel her eyes away from his arms when he hums.

“The downside of my kekkei genkai is that I’m unable to use it on myself. I can heal any wound, but not on my own body. Those take a little longer. Still, I heal faster than most.”

She hadn’t known what a kekkei genkai was when she was four, but it’s fascinating to know how he’d healed her the way he had. Other medics use green healing chakra, but Kitsune heals with purple chakra. She’d been mystified when she started picking up books on healing after entering the academy.

_It would really be cool if Kitsune was our other sensei…_

/

When the gate chunin rushed up to Obito in the middle of his lunch hour, he had immediately known something was wrong. He didn’t even try to finish his ramen, but slapped some money down on the table and followed the man out of the restaurant.

“A genin found Kitsune collapsed outside the gates.”

 _Naruto’s back? Collapsed? Focus!_ He picks up the pace, daring the chunin to fall behind. He doesn’t know the guy’s name but maybe he should find out--who lets a _genin_ discover an injured comrade outside the gates? “What was a genin doing outside the gates? A mission?”

“N-no, she was inside the gates when she saw him--”

 _She was inside the gates, yet the_ gate guard _didn’t notice the dying man that some little genin did?_ Obito pauses in the street and grabs the man’s collar, pulling him closer. “If Kitsune was within sight from the entrance of the village, _shouldn’t you have noticed he collapsed?_ ”

He pretends he doesn’t notice the sudden odor of urine permeating the air around them, shoving the younger man away. “Where is Kitsune now?”

“H-he’s in the hospital, sir. He’s in critical condition. I told the genin to keep watch over him.”

Obito nods once, turning toward the training grounds. “Clean yourself up and report to the Hokage. He’ll want to know about Kitsune’s condition as soon as possible.”

Not ten minutes later, he locates Kakashi seated at the base of a tree while Obito’s cousin attacks a training dummy. As much as Obito would have liked to rush straight to the hospital and check on Naruto himself, Kakashi has every right to know that his fiance is injured, but alive and home after his fight with Madara.

“Kakashi.”

He must not control his tone very well, because Kakashi’s gaze meets his gaze almost immediately. Even Sasuke pauses in his training to turn and look at him. It kind of makes him want to stall. “You’re short a genin today?”

Kakashi stands, eyes boring into his. “What is it, Obito?”

A sigh. “He’s back. He’s unconscious and in critical condition, so we aren’t sure how-” He doesn’t get to finish. Kakashi uses the _shunshin_ the moment Obito mentions that Naruto is in critical condition.

He’ll deal with it later, he decides, glancing at his young cousin, who’s looking far too pale despite the fact that he’s _always_ been pale. “Sasuke-kun, you should take the rest of the day off.”

“Is… Kitsune going to be alright?”

After a moment, Obito sighs and gestures for Sasuke to follow him. If what Minato-sensei said is true, Naruto’s going to end up on Kakashi’s team anyway, so it can’t hurt, right?

/

The next time Naruto wakes up in the hospital after his fight with Madara, he once again isn’t alone, but _this_ time it’s not a young genin still growing her wings, or his father wanting to hear him speak in a complete sentence.

 _Kakashi_.

He doesn’t fight the smile that breaks out on his face, reaching to poke the man in the cheek. “Oi, Kashi, are you going to sleep all day? Oi!”

Kakashi, still asleep, swats at his fingers as if it’s any other morning, and Naruto is glad for it. Pushing himself up, he considers himself: his bandages are gone, so he supposes he’s slept off the rest of the damage, though his eye socket is sunken in and empty when he touches his fingers to it. _Ah, it’s not like they keep spare eyes on call. But at least I still have one good eye._

He prods Kakashi’s cheek again, curious about the date.

_Has he been neglecting his students because of me?_

Another jab, this one to his neck. Kakashi suddenly leans back, uncovered eye wide and confused. Naruto smiles.

“Good morning, Kashi. You’re looking chipper today.”

His fiance sags in the chair, unamused. “You’re awake?”

“No, this is just a dream. We’re both still asleep and we’re late to the wedding.”

A soft grey eye blinks at him before the man stands, ruffling his hair. “Go home and get cleaned up, we’re meeting the kids in thirty minutes.” He’s out the window before Naruto can formulate a response.

 _So I am the other member of Team 7._ He smiles, slipping out from under the sheet. _Thanks, Dad._

Fortunately, he makes it to the proper training field five minutes early to find Sasuke standing sullenly under a tree while Sakura weaves a shoddy flower crown. His arrival is silent, so it’s no surprise that they don’t notice when he sits cross-legged at the edge of the field and meditates.

Both students scream when Kakashi appears in the middle of the field in a cloud of smoke, but Naruto manages to stifle his laugh.

“Good morning, my cute little genin! The four of us are going on a mission today!” Kakashi gives them his eye-smile and clasps his hands together.

“ _There’s only three of us, Sensei!_ ” Sakura shouts, arms crossed.

Naruto stands, coming up behind them, silent as a mouse. “Wrong!”

The children shriek again, throwing themselves behind Kakashi for protection. The man smiles at him, genuine and soft. “Naruto-chan, officially meet our ducklings! I know you already know each other, but the circumstances are quite different now, don’t you think?”

Naruto gives his teammates a smile. “Sasuke, Sakura-chan, don’t be so shy! Now that I’m back home and fit for duty, we’ll be able to get you all shaped up by the time the chunin exams roll around, yes?”

Surprisingly enough, it’s not Sakura that immediately appears at his side to hug him, but _Sasuke_ . Then again, of _course_ Sasuke wouldn’t have forgotten the day he’d been the clan babysitter, so it makes sense that he would be concerned for him. He shoots Kakashi a look but ruffles the boy’s hair.

“Alright. First things first, we’ll be reporting to the missions desk in a moment, but I’ve already been briefed on this particular mission. Hokage-sama suspects the client is lying about the amount of danger he’s in.”

Naruto hums. “Which is why he’s sending us, yeah? Life experience for the genin and a safe client despite being lied to. Still, we should remind him that lying about the seriousness puts not only him, but the entire team, and therefore the village, at risk.”

“Which is why _you_ , my love, will be going undercover.”

Sasuke and Sakura both gape at the two of them.

Naruto hums, forming the proper signs, and when the smoke clears, he’s a nameless twelve year old. “Alright, Kashi, let’s go.”

The two of them set off, silently amused that it takes the rest of their team a moment to realize they’ve been left behind. The two true genin are breathless and sweating when they finally catch up at the missions desk.

Naruto grins at his father, bouncing around Kakashi in circles, amused when the other chunin at the desk stare in confusion.

 _“Sakura,”_ he hears whispered behind him, _“did Kakashi-sensei say ‘my love’ to Naruto-sensei?”_

 _“I… think so,”_ comes the whispered reply. She sounds dazed.

“Ah, Team Seven, you made it. Leave it to Kakashi to come ten minutes late.” The Yondaime smiles at them, though, but his eyes seek out Naruto’s. “How are you feeling?”

Naruto fights another grin, rubbing the back of his neck. “Much better, Hokage-sama. Do you want me masked for this mission, or is this sufficient?”

“Something tells me your _henge_ is much stronger than the average jounin’s, but you’ll need a name.”

Naruto hums, resting his chin on a fist. “Ne…, I could let Kashi choose?”

His father concedes, tossing Kakashi a mission scroll. Naruto shares an amused look with him at the expressions on the desk chunin’s faces. The fact of the matter is quite simple: nobody had been allowed into Naruto’s recovery room that wasn’t treating him or was unaware of his secret, so nobody has discovered his identity aside from Sakura, who would have been told this morning anyway. He’d simply worn his mask on the way to the training ground, though he’d waved at Gai seeing as Kakashi wasn’t around to keep them apart.

_We’d have so much fun together!_

Even though the client isn’t in the room, Naruto and his father had decided that he’ll come forward either after the wedding or during the next chunin exam, whichever comes first, so he won’t reveal himself, yet.

If the mission is as simple as the client claims, he won’t have to reveal himself during it either, though if he’s forced to release the _henge_ , he’ll mask himself. Rumors spread quickly in shinobi nations. Unfortunately.

The moment they meet the client, Naruto is put on alert. The man is _trashed_ , and _rude_. Somehow, he decides that Naruto, in his plain-looking _henge_ , is the weakest of them, and makes several jabs about how he’s _paying for proper protection_.

To Naruto, it sounds like he’s scared. And poor.

 _Well, I suppose we have nothing to do but watch him_.

“Don’t worry, Tazuna-san. I don’t look like much, but I’ll give my life to protect you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unfortunately, due to circumstances known as tuesdead's hell week, this chapter is a little shorter than the last few have been, but i decided that this was a good place to end it, considering the arc we're in. could you imagine only writing one scene of the wave mission?
> 
> ha! next chapter will be the mission in the land of waves! with a twist!


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the wave arc begins, rin learns the truth, and two young men share a confession
> 
> or, sasuke and sakura try to figure out if their teachers are dating or not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sleep deprived and my body hurts, but here you go. i love you all.
> 
> all mistakes are mine
> 
> oh god i just realized this chapter is literally 4,900 words long wth
> 
> ***reminder that italics within parentheses are flashbacks***
> 
> for Soph!!! <3

( _Naruto ignores the urge to rub at his empty eye socket, shooting his father a smile. Not an hour after he woke up with Sakura keeping an eye on him, his father and Kakashi had shown up nearly at the exact same moment--he’d sensed their chakra getting closer and closer, almost as if they were racing. He figures Kakashi must’ve conceded, because it’s his father that slips into the room, waving the genin out with a small smile._

_“Naruto.”_

_“Good morning!”_

_The Hokage takes a seat in the chair that Sakura had used, eyes tracking every bandage and visible wound on Naruto’s body. His father looks_ tired _, like all the energy has left him, and Naruto feels another wave of guilt for the years lost. “Are you feeling up for giving your report, Naruto?”_

Don’t worry, Dad. I’m gonna be just fine.

_“I feel fine, Dad, ‘ttebayo! Have you been sleeping okay?”_

_The man shoots him a glare, but it’s soft and affectionate around the edges. He’s very protective, after all. “Sleeping okay, when my son is off fighting a crazed man brought back from the dead, a man that Senju Hashirama was_ barely _able to defeat?”_

 _He wants to hug his father, but perhaps now just isn’t the time. “Madara had already been brought back by the time I reached him. I barely made it in time to stop him from tearing two tailed beasts from their jinchuuriki, and then I had to explain to them what was happening…”_ )

“Ne, Sensei, how long does it take to get to Wave Country?” Sakura speaks up suddenly, pulling Naruto out of his memories and into the present. He shares a quick glance with Kakashi, but he knows his fiance is uncomfortable with Naruto’s henge. _I’m sorry, Kakashi_.

_I’ll make it up to you when we get home, okay?_

“Maa, a couple of days with a civilian, a bit less if we were traveling like real shinobi.”

 _Less still if you’re Hatake Kakashi._ Naruto cracks his neck, bouncing along the path, relieved that he doesn’t have any bandages to change--it really would be hell to deal with that while under a _henge_ , considering his transformations are extremely solid.

“Like real shinobi?” Sasuke asks, although Naruto suspects he at least has an _idea_ of what Kakashi means.

“Seiichi, why don’t you demonstrate?”

 _Oh, thank Kami, I’m practically vibrating. I’ve had too much sleep._ Naruto shoots him a grin and _shunshins_ into the nearest tree before leaping into the next, and the next, and the next. When he’s a few hundred feet ahead of them, he turns around and heads back before landing lightly on his toes, face to face with their true genin.

The bridge builder frowns at him, looking for all the world like he thinks Naruto is some kind of fraud. _Technically_ , Naruto concedes internally, _he isn’t wrong._

/

Sasuke really, _really_ wants to know more about Naruto-nii’s injuries. He’d been in the hospital for almost a week, so the fact that he was only released this morning means Sasuke’s not convinced he should be out of the village again so soon. From what Obito-san and Itachi told him, Naruto-nii had gone on an SS-class mission to fight and kill one of the Uchiha ancestors, one of the founders of their village, a man seeking revenge for things Sasuke doesn’t quite know a whole lot about, yet.

Their formation is loose, and they’ve been on the road for quite a few hours without incident, so he slips forward, appearing at his new sensei’s side.

“Nii-san, are you sure you’re okay to be leaving the village so soon already?”

Two brown eyes meet his, the man under the henge giving him a lopsided smile. “Don’t worry, Sasuke. I heal fast, especially with how much I slept when I got back. And anyway, I doubt I’ll ever face another foe as powerful as your ancestor. And if I do, well, I think I’ll do just fine. After all, I have a lot of loved ones to protect, ‘ttebayo.”

_I guess there are some things I will never understand about this man._

“Onii-san was worried about you.”

Naruto shoots him another smile. “Itachi worries about everybody, Sasuke. That's why he always looks so stressed. What is it that you actually want to ask me?”

Sasuke hums, slipping his hands into his pockets. “Tell me about the fight.”

“Well, Madara gave a lot of speeches. He was really old, even though he didn’t look it, so he was really long-winded. But mostly, Sasuke, he was just sad.”

Sasuke hums. “Sensei.” He makes sure his voice doesn’t carry toward their client. “Is he dead? And your eye…” He hates not knowing things. “Doesn’t it mess with your depth perception?”

Just when Naruto opens his mouth to respond, chaos breaks out. A puddle nearby transforms into two shinobi with Hidden Mist _hitai-ate_ , who simultaneously attack their jonin sensei and tear him to pieces--

Sasuke doesn’t even have time to _breathe_ , let alone help the man ( _how can a jonin go down so easily?_ ), but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t retaliate.

_Why doesn’t Naruto-sensei move?_

Sasuke manages to take down one of the missing-nin, and when he turns, Naruto is humming a bright tune while tying the second to a tree. If Naruto can look so carefree, then maybe… maybe Kakashi-sensei is okay? They seem to be very close, and Sasuke can’t imagine his second sensei being so calm if his friend (are they really close friends, or is something else going on there? Seriously? Sasuke wants to know) is truly gone.

Unless of course he’s simply lost his mind.

“Ne, Sasuke, bring the other one over here, will you?”

When the men are tied up (“These guys are the Demon Brothers, nukenin from the Hidden Mist. If they’re here, it won’t be long before this situation turns dire.” His sensei smiles. “But that’s why I’m here, ne?”), the two of them join Sakura and Tazuna, awaiting orders. Kakashi drops down from a tree a moment later.

“S-sensei!” Sakura yelps, eyes wide. Sasuke supposes he’d be surprised, too, if he hadn’t been studying his brother’s friend.

“Sakura-chan,” Naruto hums, “if you’ve been cut by one of them, we need to get the poison out immediately.” She doesn’t hesitate to hold her hand out for him, and Sasuke watches, enraptured, when his hands light up with purple chakra, liquid pouring out of the cut as it simultaneously closes.

_Amazing… I’ve never actually seen his kekkei genkai before. He really is… one of a kind._

/

Kakashi’s starting to wish they were back in the village, curled up on the sofa or in bed, hiding away from the world and all the bad in it. He’s tired of looking at his fiance and seeing a genin. Naruto doesn’t have to hide anymore, should _never hide again_ if Kakashi has anything to say about it, and this entire mission has Kakashi’s nerves on edge because he can’t even look at the man he’s going to marry and see his face.

_Again._

“Seiichi.”

“Ah.” The younger man shoots him a smile, releasing their kunoichi’s hand when it’s finally all healed up. “Tazuna-san… it seems as though somebody really wants you dead.” Naruto smiles with a twelve-year-old’s face when he turns to their client. Kakashi looks away. “If somebody sent the Demon Brothers after you, the main act isn’t far behind.”

Naruto forms a series of hand seals and smacks his palm to the ground beside the tree where the rogue chunin are tied up, a seal that will hold them until somebody from the Leaf Village comes to collect them.

The rest of the journey to Wave Country is strangely calm despite the fact that Tazuna is being hunted by missing-nin from the Hidden _Mist_ of all places, an uneasy feeling settling in Kakashi’s stomach.

“Tazuna-san.”

The man turns to him, pale and sweating.

“If missing-nin from Kirigakure are hunting you down, this mission can no longer be considered a C-rank. My genin aren’t qualified to handle a B-rank mission, and you didn’t pay for one. There are things you haven’t told us, and until you do, we will not take another step forward.” The other three shinobi fall in line, Naruto at his side and the two genin half a step behind them. The other man sags.

The problem is this: Kakashi understands exactly why the bridge builder lied when he paid for a mission. He understands the desperation of wanting to help the people you love. But Kakashi would never willingly put _children_ in danger, no matter what. To Tazuna, Sasuke and Sakura should be considered _children_ , and the fact that the man doesn’t really seem to care that he’s putting them in danger that they aren’t qualified to handle is just--

He doesn’t have _words_.

“Sasuke, Sakura…,” Naruto hums, but his eyes never leave the bridge builder, “how do you think we should proceed?”

“Protocol would have us return to the village or wait for backup.” Sasuke steps forward, arms crossed. “But this Gato person sounds like trouble. We should help.”

“Besides, Sensei,” Sakura adds, giving Kakashi a small smile that warms his heart, _just a little_. “Kitsune-sensei told me that you’re one of the strongest jonin in Konoha.”

_I’m a pushover, aren’t I?_

_I am._

“Seiichi?”

Naruto smiles like the sun. “You heard them, _sensei_.”

Two former ANBU and two genin escort a bridge builder back to his homeland. Kakashi really should have expected things to go awry. Somehow, they always do when it comes to him. At least he has Naruto.

_Speaking of…_

“How’s your eye?” he asks softly, allowing the others to move ahead.

His fiance hums. “You worry too much.”

Kakashi doesn’t feel the need to point out why.

A sigh. “Kashi, I promise you that I’m okay. As soon as we get a minute, I’ll even let you look at it, okay?” He shifts. “Seeing as Tazuna was attacked by the Demon Brothers, I’m willing to bet that this Gato has also hired Zabuza of the Seven Swordsman. I’ve dealt with him before, but I don’t want to reveal myself too soon, ne? Dad said the _henge_ would be fine, but I brought a mask just in case. The craftsman finished it just before we left, since Madara broke the last one.”

He reaches for Naruto’s hand, wishing he could hold him, and the blond intertwines their fingers, tapping out a message in Morse. ‘ _I love you._ ’

“How did it happen?”

Naruto hums. “He knew he was about to die, so he decided to get his revenge with one last parting blow. He slashed up with his katana, and if I wanted to keep my throat intact, I had to tuck my head. So he lunged instead, and took my right eye with him.” Out of nowhere, he grins. “Honestly, I’m surprised I made it home before I passed out.”

He taps out his own message on the back of Naruto’s hand. _‘Idiot.’_

/

Obito has a lot of regrets. Not being permitted to help Naruto fight Madara is only one of them. Not telling Rin about Naruto is another. And now… now that they’re… _together_ , kind of, almost, it’s a secret he can no longer keep from her.

She knows that he thinks of Kitsune as his brother, somebody he wants to protect, and she knows that he once made a horrible, _terrible_ mistake that nearly ruined their relationship forever. She knows most of the story by now, after all of their talks. When the two of them had finally sat down and discussed their feelings for each other, Obito had explained that he had a lot of baggage he wanted to confess to her before they moved forward. Rin, though, has always understood Obito. They’ve been friends since the time they could walk, after all.

So she’d agreed to hear him out, understanding that he doesn’t want there to be any more secrets between them if they’re really going to be together. He really hates lying to her, after all.

And that brings him to Minato-sensei’s office at eleven o’clock at night, Rin in tow.

“Obito, how do you know Sensei’s even here? Wouldn’t he be at home right now? It’s pretty late.”

Unfortunately, Obito had to ask permission from Sensei before he ever brought Rin along, so he knows that their former teacher is still in the office. His wife is with him. They’re waiting on Obito and Rin.

“Rin, I have one final secret to share with you. But it’s not really _my_ secret.” He pushes the door open and follows her inside, heart heavy with the weight of his misdeeds. But then, he thinks of his little brother, nineteen and so, _so_ strong.

Obito’s not just doing this for himself, or for Rin. Naruto has whined and complained about the fact that she doesn’t know he’s alive and at home, has literally pointed out several times that she _cannot_ be the only member of their mismatched little family who’s surprised when he removes his mask, or veil, at the wedding. Obito’s little brother is precious and deserves the world, and if this is the only thing Obito can do for him, he’ll _gladly_ receive Rin’s anger for being kept in the dark. After all, it’s really Obito that could have told her, years ago.

“--to _Kami_ , Minato, if they aren’t back by the wedding date, I will blame the _entire_ thing on you!”

“Ne, Sensei?”

The Hokage peeks around the chair that he’s hiding behind, looking a little pale. Obito refuses to glance toward Kushina because he doesn’t want to face her wrath, not if her hair is doing that creepy, floaty thing. “Obito, Rin, welcome. Please have a seat.”

“Somebody’s getting married, Sensei?” Rin asks, moving to sit on one of the chairs when Minato-sensei rounds his desk to sit next to his wife on the sofa against one of the walls.

“Ah, that’s kind of tied to the reason we’re here. First of all, we’re here to discuss Kitsune.”

Rin glances at Obito, brow furrowed and lips pursed. “I’m not quite sure I follow.”

“Rin.” Obito ducks his head, but his eye never leaves her face. “I’ve been putting off telling you about this in particular for a very long time. Twelve years, actually. Since Kannabi Bridge.”

His oldest friend seems to pale, just a little.

“It wasn’t some stranger who saved my life that night, Rin. It wasn’t some random person in a mask. I could make out his face as clearly as I can see yours. He called me by my name. He followed us all the way from the village. He was seven years old.”

She mouths the word _seven_ , eyes glazing over. “W-who…?”

He takes a deep breath. “It was Naruto who saved me that night, Rin. The night he disappeared, he became a jinchuuriki and was trained for a year in the Forest of Death. He remained in the forest after he was left alone, and after he saved my life, I returned there with him. We trained, we ran missions, and Sandaime-sama inducted us into ANBU.”

Rin looks between the three of them, but she’s unable to form words. Obito can’t really blame her for it.

“I didn’t figure out his identity until after he left the village to train with Jiraiya,” Kushina finally steps in, clasping her hands together over her knees. “I didn’t recognize my own son, even when he came to heal me on his eighth birthday. But I figured it out by the time he turned fifteen, and that’s why I decided to make everybody celebrate it. Including him.” She makes a face. “Still, he did his best to avoid us. He was terrified that he wouldn’t be able to control his powers and would destroy the village.”

Sensei rests his elbows on his knees, chin on his hands. “Kakashi found out when Naruto and Obito were hunting down the Akatsuki. He hid himself away for two weeks and I had to send Gai to find him. That’s when he told me. There were plenty of reasons that Naruto tried to keep his identity a secret, but the last big threat on his agenda has finally been taken care of.”

“He’s been hiding in plain sight this entire time, Rin, and I’ve been helping him,” Obito finishes. “He’s good at hiding it, but he’s still so _shy_. He’s asked us to tell you more than once.”

“His identity is still an SS-class secret, but he plans on coming forward either at his wedding or the next chunin exam, depending on which comes first.” Minato-sensei shoots his wife a frustrated glance. “Although it seems Kushina wants the wedding to come first. I don’t think the boys care all that much.”

“They asked me to plan, I don’t see why I can’t plan the wedding for the end of the month.”

Obito sighs. _These two…_

A soft laugh escapes the girl in the chair next to his, but she covers her mouth as tears gather in the corners of her eyes.

He hadn’t wanted to hurt her. But telling her now is better than lying, or letting her find out later that the rest of them already knew. He supposes they really do deserve her anger.

“I’m sorry,” she says. “I’m so sorry.” Rin looks up, meeting Sensei’s eyes, and then Kushina’s. “I… I never believed it. I thought it was impossible... for him to be alive after all this time.” She wraps her arms around herself. “If… if I had been as enthusiastic about finding him… If I had been willing to _search_ …” She gives them a soft smile. “It’s no wonder none of you told me. I’m always at the hospital, and I avoided even _considering_ the possibility that he was out there somewhere… So, really, why would any of you go out of your way to tell me?”

Obito doesn’t want Rin to feel like she deserved to be left out, but he can’t exactly deny all the times she’d looked at them with some kind of pity. Perhaps it was the healer in her, or the statistics of somebody so young being on their own or in captivity for so long.

He understands why she considered Naruto to be dead.

“Rin,” Kushina stands, crouching before the younger woman and taking her by the hands. “We all had our doubts at one point or another. All of us, except for Kakashi. Don’t think that we were trying to punish you for not getting your hopes up, because the thought never crossed our minds. Each of us learned his secret at different times, and each of us dealt with it in our own ways. Telling you just kind of slipped by the wayside on top of all the other things that fell into our hands after finding out the truth.”

After a moment, Rin stands. “Ah, you two have a wedding to plan, so we’ll get going.” Her smile is genuine, but she still looks like she’s hurting. Obito wonders if he’ll be able to make it up to her.

By the time they hit the streets, Rin has taken his hand. “Obito…”

_What do I even say, now? ‘I’m sorry’ really doesn’t cover it._

“I cannot imagine what you went through, keeping a secret like that for so long.”

Obito draws a blank.

“Rin…?”

“I mean, both of you have such big hearts, you know? From what I remember about Naruto, and what I know about Kitsune, he’s extremely loving and gentle. And _you_. Obito, you’ve always had an open heart. For the two of you to be on your own, away from the people you care about… Taking missions meant for ANBU…” She squeezes his hand, leading him to one of the benches along the worn path. “It’s no wonder the pressure finally got to you. Stress does some awful things to people. Honestly, after being traumatized and then adding to your own stress by leaving everyone behind to protect him all on your own…”

Rin caresses his cheek with her free hand, and what can he do but lean into the gentle touch like a man starved? Obito knows better than anybody that he lost a part of himself the night he saved Kakashi, but he’ll never, ever regret it. It wasn’t the part of himself that loves this woman. He will always love her.

_Please, never leave me._

/

Eventually, the five of them make camp for the night. While Naruto-sensei tends to the fire and keeps an eye on their client, Kakashi-sensei goes to collect water, leaving Sakura and Sasuke in charge of gathering more wood to put on the fire.

Not even a full week ago, Sakura had completely given up on her crush and was pretty much ready to pummel him into next weekend.

And suddenly, it’s almost as if he wants to be her friend. Like now that she’s not treating him like he’s something special, he’s willing to meet her gaze. It’s almost as if Sasuke isn’t the least bit interested in girls.

The thought is practically a slap to the face.

_Does Sasuke like anybody at all? Has he ever even had a crush?_

“Sakura.”

She hums, picking up another piece of dried wood and adding it to the pile in her arm.

“You’re the one who found Naruto-nii. What did he look like? My cousin said he was hurt pretty badly, but he looked all healed up this morning.” Sasuke’s arms are piled with wood and dried leaves, too. He looks bored, but Sakura’s pretty sure Sasuke always looks bored.

Neither of them mentions how his face only holds a lone blue eye, now.

“I wouldn’t have noticed him if he wasn’t coughing up his own blood. He was outside the gates, but I heard a cough, like a really bad, wet cough. How people with lung damage sound, you know? Anyway, the gate chunin was asleep in his booth, so I snuck outside the wall and that’s when I found him. He was… well, he’d been beaten half to death, Sasuke-kun. His mask was broken, he was unconscious, and there was more blood outside of his body than in it. Probably.” She frowns. “His healing ability, the one he used on me earlier? He said he can’t use it on himself. He heals quickly, but not quickly _enough_.”

Sakura turns to her teammate, taking notice of the tension in his shoulders. “Sasuke-kun?”

He shakes his head, meeting her gaze. “Do you think they’re sleeping together?”

“Who?”

“Kakashi-sensei and Naruto-nii.”

_Well… Kaka-sensei did call him ‘my love’. And Kitsune-sensei seemed pretty fond of Kakashi-sensei when I mentioned him._

“Whether they’re… _doing that_ or not, I think it’s at least safe to say that they’re fond of each other.” She shoots him a smirk. “But I bet if we watch them long enough, we’ll be able to figure it out.”

It’s late when they make it back to the camp. Sasuke acts cool, but both of them had gotten turned around on the walk back, so she knows Sasuke isn’t perfect. It’s kind of nice to realize he’s human, too.

Their client is snoring loudly on his bedroll while the fire burns nearby. The teachers are seated side-by-side across from him, talking softly. A part of Sakura wants to curl up at their feet and listen to the gentle hum of their voices as she falls asleep.

_I probably just miss my parents._

But then Naruto-sensei turns to them, smiling at them as though he’s really, truly pleased to see them. “Did you guys get lost, Sasuke?”

“Hn.”

When they’re close enough, Sakura can make out the two of them holding hands in the light of the fire. Do platonic friends hold hands? Well, she supposes she and Ino used to hold hands all the time, but she’s never seen Shikamaru and Choji holding hands, and they’re closer than any two friends Sakura’s ever known.

She pushes it from her mind, suddenly exhausted. Maybe they won’t mind if she just… curls up beside them and dozes.

“Sakura-chan, why don’t you get some rest?” Naruto-sensei offers, eye tracking her movements around their little camp. “That poison I pulled out of your blood probably did a number on you, ‘ttebayo.”

Yeah. Her butt really does feel kicked. “Hai, Sensei.”

His answering smile makes her want to cry from fondness. _I’m really glad you’re my sensei._

**Bonus**

Itachi slips his mask off, dropping it onto the desk in Shisui’s bedroom and plopping onto the mattress, utterly spent. He wants nothing more than to protect his village and his little brother. Truly.

Except for maybe his best friend. He wants his best friend, too. But Shisui is out of Itachi’s reach, the sun to Itachi’s moon, a bright, distant star. Itachi will never deserve him.

And yet, he can remember with clarity the first time Shisui had asked him not to return to his parents after a bad mission, saying _“They won’t care for you the way you’re going to need, Itachi. Please find me, instead.”_

Itachi won’t pretend to understand why Shisui has shown him so much kindness. They share the same clan, and sometimes Shisui will call him ‘cousin’ and smile like it’s some kind of secret, but they’re distantly related, if at all. The older he gets, the easier it is to grasp why sharing a clan doesn’t necessarily mean you’re closely _related_ to your kin.

“Itachi?”

He rolls toward the open window, barely meeting Shisui’s eyes before his own droop from exhaustion. “Welcome home.”

A soft sigh, barely a whisper. “Itachi, why don’t you just move into the apartment? We can turn the other room into a bedroom and you won’t have to live at the edge of the village anymore. Your mother spends more time with her sister than at home, anyway, and Sasuke has his own team now.”

He lets out a grunt, shoving himself onto his back. Shisui looks amused. “What if I want to sleep in your room?”

He regrets the words the moment he realizes he’s said them out loud. He may not have realized, honestly, if it weren’t for the following silence and his friend’s near-imperceptible intake of breath.

But Itachi’s too tired to move, let alone care about what Shisui will do next, so he just steals the extra pillow and rolls again. By the time the other man moves, Itachi’s just _barely_ clinging to his consciousness. Are the fingers that trail across his cheek real, or a figment of his imagination?

When he wakes, dawn has come and gone and the smell of breakfast is what eventually pulls him out of his slumber. He slinks into the bathroom for a shower before stealing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt out of Shisui’s dresser and padding into the living area.

Shisui’s bent over the stove, hair a mess from sleep, pants on inside out. This is a regular morning in Shisui’s apartment. Itachi doesn’t remember his final comment from the night before until he’s seated in one of the chairs at the small kitchen table and his friend shoots him a tired smile.

“Are you going to move in, Itachi?” A plate is placed in front of him and Shisui squeezes his shoulder before dropping onto the other chair and digging into his food with enthusiasm.

He’s still processing, so it takes him a moment to respond. “I… am not against the idea.”

The other man hums, giving a little nod while he swallows his food. “Okay, because I was thinking, I can empty out half of the dresser, and if we rearrange there’ll be room for a bigger bed, so… Itachi?”

Itachi wonders if it’s some kind of joke. Or, maybe Shisui had misunderstood him the night before, and he means this in the most platonic way possible. Perhaps Itachi’s still in bed, he’s simply dreaming.

“Did I say something wrong? Last night, you said…” His face takes on a pink tinge that Itachi nearly misses. “If you don’t want to, that’s okay, too, Itachi. The offer stands either way.”

But why would Shisui be so abashed if the implications _hadn’t_ been there?

Itachi clears his throat. “Shisui… if I’m going to be living here with you, I don’t want us to have any misunderstandings about the situation.” His heart pounds, echoing loudly in his ears, but this man is his _best friend_. Itachi thinks they’ll be okay no matter what happens next. “I want to be by your side for the rest of my life. I want to reflect your sunlight and lift you up for as long as you’ll let me. I don’t have the words for how I feel, but I don’t think I’ll ever feel this way about anybody else. Do you understand?”

They stare at each other for several long seconds, and then Shisui is at his side, pulling him out of his chair and into his friend’s arms. His friend, reason to smile, reason to survive…

“We’re fools,” Shisui hums against the top of Itachi’s head. His arms are firm around Itachi’s shoulders, but his hold is altogether quite gentle. Had he seen the bruises from Itachi’s last mission, or is this the kind of lover he is? Itachi wants to know, he wants to know everything. He hopes Shisui will let him. “I love you, Itachi.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mission to Wave continues: Team 7 faces a new foe, old acquaintances meet again, and someone is faced with an eye-opening discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I have returned from the deep with a new chapter! I apologize for my absence--I have no excuse except an awful case of writer's block that I was too depressed to work through. (Here's to all of you who also fight to get out of bed.) This chapter puts a different spin on the Wave Arc, but I think many of us, if not all, can agree that Zabuza and Haku could have had a better ending, if not a better story in all (guess which one this is?).
> 
> As always, thank you for reading!

“It shouldn’t take much longer to get to my home,” Tazuna announces about thirty minutes after they’ve reached the shore. He’s been mostly silent since they’d dragged the full story out of him the day before, except for a short conversation on the boat where he told them about the other two members of his family. And can he really be blamed for waiting on the other shoe to drop?

Naruto’s getting suspicious, as well. He _knows_ there’s another attack coming, and the fact that it’s supposedly so close to Tazuna’s house puts him on edge. Not only does that put the old man’s family at risk, but it also means that they have less room to fight if it comes down to it. He may end up having to reveal himself anyway. Will Zabuza choose to fight him? Or will he finally face the honest truth, that Naruto will beat him? He always does. Or, maybe when he sees Kakashi, he’ll decide not to fight, and Naruto won’t have to reveal himself anyway.

_Swoosh!_

He barely has enough time to shove the bridge builder and Sasuke to the ground, trusting Kakashi to do the same for Sakura, before a giant sword impales a tree directly in front of the group. _I know that sword. Kubikiribocho_. And with that sword comes the missing-nin who carries it.

“Well, well, bridge builder. Three little brats and the Copy Nin won’t be enough to save you, I’m afraid.” Momochi Zabuza stands tall, perched on his sword in the tree, looking just this side of nonchalant. He looks almost smug, but Naruto can see the underlying stress in his face. The man is worried.

Naruto inches closer to their client, his hands already forming the correct signs for his barrier seal, but his eyes never leave their opponent. The man is smart and brutal; he fights dirtier than most and doesn’t care who he has to kill to get what he wants. And, unfortunately, he’s willing to work for anybody as long as they pay well.

Sure, Naruto could put an end to the whole charade if he wants to release his _henge_ and explain to Tazuna that he’s actually an SS-Rank ANBU with two full pages in every Bingo Book, but his particular role on this mission is to go as long as possible without revealing his identity--or, at least, his ANBU identity.

 _There_ , he thinks as a purple chakra barrier surrounds the bridge builder. “Don’t worry, Tazuna-san, this can’t be penetrated!” He ignores the fact that the old drunk obviously doesn’t believe him. “Sakura, Sasuke, come.” He smiles when the two fall into formation around the barrier. “Be careful not to touch, this thing could seriously harm you if you’re careless.”

A few yards away, the fight between his fiance and the missing-nin picks up its pace, ever evolving in its violence.

“Is Kakashi-sensei gonna be okay?” Sakura asks quietly, pulling a kunai out of her holster.

“Sure! And if he looks like he’s in trouble, I’ll step in. Honestly, I think he’s having a bit of fun.” Naruto lets his sleeves fall over his hands, calmly assessing Kakashi’s fight. Each blow his fiancé takes is returned with twice the effect, but the demon of the mist is starting to look determined, and when Kakashi gets cornered in the water, Naruto knows he’s going to have to step in. That’s his future husband out there. “Kakashi, are you finished playing?”

The Copy-Nin shoots him a sheepish look from inside the water prison. “Yes, dear.”

Naruto steps forward, revealing his hands and releasing the _henge_ , mask already in place. “Zabuza,” he barks, eye never leaving the man. The missing-nin jerks in surprise, taking a half-step backward. “Call your partner.”

Said partner lands beside his master without waiting for Zabuza to call him, having been nearby, and offers Naruto a shallow bow. “Kitsune-sama.”

And truly, Naruto doesn’t have anything against either of them. They may be cold-blooded killers, but they’re devoted and loyal to each other, and they’re doing their best to find a way to change their country for the better. So, Naruto really doesn’t want to have to kill them, and he’d like to make it to Tazuna’s house before Kakashi’s sharingan drains all of his chakra. “Release him.”

The jutsu is dropped and Kakashi slinks out of the lake, soaked from head to toe, moving to stand just behind Naruto’s right shoulder, taking the position of second-in-charge for the first time since Team 7 was formed. The others in the clearing fail to hide their surprise.

“I was sent on this mission under disguise to sniff out the danger,” he reveals, releasing the barrier around Tazuna. “But you two will cut ties with Gato, won’t you?” Naruto stands tall, reminding himself that he has played leader over and over again, clasping his hands together under his sleeves. “I don’t want to have to hurt you if I don’t have to, you see. I would much rather deal with the real problem at hand. What are two talented shinobi such as yourselves doing working for somebody like that, anyway?”

He smiles under his mask at their discomfort.

“I love it when you get assertive,” Kakashi hums, voice low.

 _I love you, Bakashi._ Naruto grins beneath his mask.

“Now, gentlemen, if you wouldn’t mind. Please see yourselves elsewhere. If you help me deal with Gato, I might even pay you myself.” His eye catches the way the two of them shift, anticipatory. “You’ll have to behave yourselves, of course.”

 _“What the heck is going on?”_ his pink-haired genin whispers to her teammate, understandably confused.

Neither of them would know the extent of Naruto’s abilities; Sakura comes from a civilian family, so it’s unlikely she could have overheard her parents discussing the shinobi world in their home. As for Sasuke, despite the fact that Naruto is friends with both his older brother and his older brother’s best friend, the boy has only seen and heard the bare minimum of what Naruto can do--mainly because when Naruto is off-duty and with friends, he’s just being a big idiot. It helps to be a fool when he feels shy, because if people are laughing, they aren’t treating him badly.

Not that people ever really treated him badly. But the fear, the fear is real. He loves people, but they still terrify him.

He can’t read minds, after all.

“Ducklings,” Kakashi hums, turning in place to eye-smile at their genin. “You can put your weapons down. Come along, hup-to, let’s get the bridge builder home.”

Naruto waves the missing-nin and his apprentice away, turning around to face their students. “Any questions you have can be answered while we walk, ne?”

/

Kushina taps her nails against the table under her hands, gazing out the window at their backyard. _Maybe they’ll move into the Hatake compound? Ah, but Kakashi hasn’t returned to that place since his father’s death. It’s unlikely that he’d go back after all this time._

But where will they live?

If she knows anything about her son and his soon-to-be husband, they’ll seek comfort above all else. They don’t need a showroom as a home, and they don’t need a place with too much space, which would only collect dust. Workaholics, the both of them.

Still, it wouldn’t feel right to go buy them a place. Besides, Minato would probably kill her if she did so without consulting them, especially since the wedding is already put together. _I still need them to write their vows, though._

She’s willing to bet they’re going to make each other cry during the vows. She’s hoping for it. Kakashi needs to shed a tear every once in a while. A _good_ tear. No more heartbreak, Kushina doesn’t think he can take it, the boy (man, he’s a man now, even if he’ll always be that little lost boy to her) has been through too much. They both have.

 _I can at least put together a list of available properties for them, they might appreciate knowing their options. And my husband cannot fault me for that, can he? No, I think not._ She breathes a sigh, pushing herself out of her seat, intent to speak to the real estate agent who helped her and Minato when they were looking for their own home. It’s a start, at least, and until she gets the boys to sit and write their vows, there’s not much else that Kushina can do for them.

/

 _If you want something done right, do it yourself._ Gato sucks his teeth, sliding his hand against the underside of his desk, unsheathing the dagger tucked away there. _Those damned rogues should know better than to mess with me._

He signals his bodyguards to follow him, stomping into the hallway and taking a left, toward the room Zabuza and that girl-boy he keeps at his side have been staying in. The man is, in a word, infuriated. The bridge-builder should already be _dead_ , and if it weren’t for the incompetence of the men in his arsenal, that wretched man would already be at the bottom of the ocean. Dead.

No, instead, the mutinous ninja have failed, again, and Gato wants very much to kill something.

He gestures; one of the men steps forward and kicks the door open. The frame creaks, wood splinters, Gato glares at an empty room. Below, dozens of footsteps assault his ears, somebody shouts, an explosion sounds. His bodyguards direct him back into his office, shutting the door as quickly as their fumbling allows them. It’s not fast enough. There, at his desk, sits a masked ninja, lounging on Gato’s furniture as if he belongs there.

“Good evening, Gato of Gato Company.” The ninja twirls a needle between his fingers, one of those _senbon_ that Gato has seen the girl-boy use, but this ninja isn’t anything like Zabuza’s servant. No, his hair is short and spiky brown, and his mask is different, too. Plus, Gato’s never seen the other one wear so much black in all the time they’ve been working for him. “You have a contract to kill the bridge builder, don’t you?”

“What of it?” one of his bodyguards asks, and Gato barely restrains himself from killing the idiot for his sheer stupidity. _This man isn’t here to kill the bridge builder, fool!_

“You see, I was hired to protect the man that you’re attempting to kill.” He stands, and he’s not quite as tall as the muscle to Gato’s right, but every inch of him is solid, like a man who’s been working hard his entire life. This doesn’t bode well for Gato, but there’s a chance, a chance he can make a deal with this one.

“No, I don’t think so.” The masked ninja stalks forward, the senbon still twirling, and if he isn’t smirking underneath that mask, Gato will eat his shirt. The bodyguards step forward, into the ninja’s path; their bodies slump to the ground in the next second. It’s unfortunate, truly. They had been loyal protectors, never questioning his decisions, rarely thinking for themselves.

The masked nin ( _ANBU_ , Gato’s memory finally provides) sighs, sliding the porcelain aside to reveal one stormy blue eye and a head of blond hair, with three symmetrical scars on either cheek. _Kid looks familiar…_

“Look, kid, you didn’t have to kill them, they’re loyal like dogs--”

“That right there’s your problem, _Gato_. You treat your employees like animals.” He points to the one on the right. “ _Look_ at them. Really look, with your mind and not just your eyes.” Gato stumbles backward when a katana manifests at his neck. _When did he-?_

He chokes, fear gripping him with great hands, his entire body convulsing with it, and forces himself to look at the boys on the floor, the boys on the floor who are- 

_Still breathing?_

“Unlike you, I don’t kill needlessly. These men are loyal to you, so showing them mercy may come back to haunt me later, but my intuition tells me that I’ll be able to handle whatever it is that they throw at me. _You_ , sir, are the one who deserves death, and _by Kami_ , I’m the one who will deliver it.” The blond smiles, his face anything but friendly. His eye burns, and his teeth are bared, including but not limited to, the _very sharp canines_ unnatural in any human being.

“ _What are you?!_ ” Gato chokes, shuffling backward when the boy stalks closer.

“I am your worst nightmare,” he says, feral and vicious. His eye flashes red and then Gato is no more.

/

It takes a moment to understand what wakes him. Sasuke stares blankly at the window of their second story guest room and wonders why there’s a silhouette standing beside it until he registers that there’s a silhouette standing beside it, and then he’s on his feet and reaching for his kunai-

-only to drop his weapons pouch when his eyes adjust.

“Nii-san?”

 _What is he doing?_ Sasuke glances around the room, but Sakura and Kakashi-sensei are both sound asleep, or at least they appear to be.

“Sasuke-kun,” his newest sensei hums, dropping his mask onto his bedroll. “Did I startle you? I’m sorry.” He strips his weapons off, followed by his ANBU uniform, pulling the jonin blues on, though he forgoes his flak jacket. “I was just--”

“Gato’s dead, isn’t he?”

Naruto only smiles, sinking onto his bedding.

“Nii-san, you don’t have to protect me.” Sasuke inches forward, but Naruto slides his mask back into place, clucking his tongue.

“You are my student,” he says, “and it’s my duty to protect you and train you until I believe you’re ready to move up in the ranks. Not only will I protect you from physical harm when I must, I will also do my best to prepare you without ripping apart your psyche.” He rolls onto his other side, putting his back to Sasuke. Silence blankets the room for several minutes, and he has no choice but to climb back into bed with his thoughts.

His eyes have been drooping for several minutes when Naruto speaks again.

“Gato is dead.”

...

This is not what Sasuke had expected when his teacher had whispered his confession the night before. This morning, Naruto had been as chipper as could be, practically glued to Kakashi-sensei’s side and chattering about several things at once during breakfast. Sasuke had begun to wonder if he hadn’t dreamt the entire interaction from the night.

Until now. When the four of them had set off for the bridge with Tazuna-san in tow, life throughout the town seemed livelier, bursting with energy and, dare he say, _cheer_. Cheer, after years of pain and fear and suffering.

Cheer, because Gato’s head has been displayed on a spear at the very edge of Tazuna's bridge. His _head_ , sunglasses askew, eyes gouged out, mouth wide open in a silent scream. The man will never scream again. Scream, or drug-deal, or steal, or murder.

Gato is dead, alright, and neither of his teachers bats an eye. Sakura turns green, Sasuke’s stomach churns, but Tazuna-san falls to his knees. “ _Freedom_?” passes his lips in a harsh whisper.

_Is this what it means to be a ninja, truly?_

Sasuke considers the village, considers Tazuna, considers the lack of remorse in either of his teachers’ body language. Gato is dead, and none of them grieve. He’d been a bad man, the worst of the worst when it comes to ‘average’ people, yet it’s a strange sensation that bubbles up his throat at the thought that people are celebrating somebody’s death.

Konoha… _Shinobi_ are truly killers, aren’t they? And Sasuke wonders… is he prepared for it? For something as brutal as this deed that his sensei has done?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the voice of the story is still consistent; however, if any of you feel differently, I apologize. I, as a person, am an ever evolving creature. My inner voice, as well as my writing voice, is bound to change.
> 
> See you next time!
> 
> (I promise, this is not the last we will see of Zabuza and Haku; unfortunately, I couldn't quite find anymore space for them in this chapter.)


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura makes a discovery, Sasuke is given a harsh reality check, and a [Gai] walks into a [Ramen] bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> get it, get it? it's funny, right?  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> ...all mistakes are mine!

_He’s been sulking ever since we found Gato’s head._ Sakura studies her teammate’s back, wondering if there’s something he knows that she doesn’t. Why else would he be acting so standoffish after they’ve come so far, when they’d finally started getting along at the beginning of their mission?

She sighs, downtrodden. Had she done something to set him off? _I thought we were past that stage in this relationship._ Sakura pauses for the hand on her shoulder, glancing up into the one-eyed mask over Naruto-sensei’s face. “Leave him be,” he chides softly, ruffling her hair. “He has to make a difficult choice. There are some genin who haven’t quite grasped what it means to be shinobi.” He tilts his head, the movement giving Sakura a clear view of his blue eye, filled to the brim with unimaginable sadness. _Who died to make him look-_

_Oh. Naruto-sensei killed Gato._

Her jaw falls open of its own accord. _Sasuke_ **_knows_ ** _Naruto-sensei killed Gato._

She nods, catching his hand and giving it a quick squeeze before scurrying back into her spot in their loose formation.

How does Sasuke know, is the question. He couldn’t have witnessed the murder ( _assassination_ , she reminds herself). She doubts Naruto-sensei would have told Sasuke without telling her, not that he really needed to. She doesn’t care who killed the man, as long as her teammates are all okay.

But clearly, Sasuke is not okay. What did he think, that shinobi only kill when they’re ordered to? That his teachers had never killed men before? That all shinobi are as ridiculous as the one that walks around the village on his hands? Did he think that shinobi never have to get their hands dirty?

Sakura shakes her head, sending Naruto-sensei a reassuring smile over her shoulder.

_He doesn’t deserve to be shunned by his own student._

Even more worrisome is how Sasuke’s reaction to this knowledge might affect his choice of a career. If he’s going to be like this every time one of them has to kill somebody, he shouldn’t be a shinobi at all.

 _And it’s probably eating at him._ If he can’t reconcile his former image of Naruto-sensei with this new one, and reconcile the darker side of their job with what he knows about his family, his brother, then it’s going to tear him apart. _I guess he hadn’t been prepared. I’ve never really thought about it before._

Sakura sighs, forcing her thoughts onto brighter topics. _We never figured out whether or not Kakashi-sensei and Naruto-sensei are dating!_

/

Kakashi is so relieved when they make it back to the village that he’s half-tempted to collapse at the gate: Sasuke’s gloomy silence is a serious mood-killer, and the extra money from Gato’s vault feels like lead in his bag. Who knew a genin could be so disapproving without uttering a single word? Not to mention the fact that he’d barely spent any of the trek back home meeting anyone’s eyes.

The four of them are readily accepted into the Hokage’s office, where Naruto gladly drops his mask and sinks into one of the chairs, exhausted.

“I knew it! You’ve been pushing yourself,” Kakashi accuses lightly. “We should have made more stops.”

His fiance rolls his eye, but he’s paler than Kakashi would like.

Sensei sighs, tension around his eyes loosening only slightly. “Welcome back, Team Seven. I received a very short, very cryptic message from the two ninja you left for us to collect. Does anybody want to tell me why they seemed certain you would all be dead before you made it to the Land of Waves?”

“The Demon brothers, of course, were fooled by Naruto’s _henge_ , Hokage-sama. We faced The Demon of the Mist just outside of Wave Country, and Naruto was forced to release his _henge_ to gain control of the situation. Lucky for us, though, they were willing to listen to what he had to say.” Kakashi is about to continue when the door bursts open and Kushina slams it shut behind her, making the genin jump.

“ _Boys_ !” She glares, first at Kakashi, then at her son. “ _Why_ , exactly, must you be late all the time? Kakashi, this wedding is important to you, is it not?”

_The wedding…?_

“Of course, Kushina-sama.”

“Well, _you have three days to write your vows!_ Minato can get the written report later, you need to get it together-”

“ _Mom_ ,” Naruto interjects, draping himself over the back of the chair he’s sitting in. “Our C-Rank mission turned into an A-Rank mission and put our genin into danger. The wedding vows can wait an hour or two.”

 _“That’s his mom?”_ Sakura whispers to her teammate; Sasuke responds with a bewildered grunt.

Kushina blinks at her son for a moment before turning toward the youngest occupants in the room. “Genin get smaller and smaller every year, I swear,” she mutters, waving at them before turning on her heel and exiting the room swiftly. Kakashi feels her embarrassment for several seconds afterward, though he turns his attention to his former sensei.

“Sensei,” Sakura breathes, awed, “your mom is really pretty!”

Naruto’s answering grin is bright as the sun. “Thank you, Sakura-chan,” he answers softly.

The Yondaime sighs. “The Demon of the Mist ambushed you, Naruto intimidated him, and then what?”

A moment passes before Naruto rises. “I made an agreement with Zabuza and Haku. They helped me infiltrate Gato’s lair and I made the executive decision to take him out while they kept the rest of his men busy. Then we decided to stay long enough for Tazuna to finish his bridge on the off chance that Gato’s men would seek revenge on the islanders.” He no longer looks exhausted. Somehow, Naruto has transformed right in front of their eyes, dropping all pretenses and looking every bit like the highly trained ANBU that he is.

Minato-sensei nods, and he too has turned into a trained professional. “I trust you cleared Gato’s vaults?”

“Hai, Hokage-sama,” Naruto responds. Kakashi takes what’s leftover out of his backpack, placing it on the desk. “We returned a portion of it to the island, I paid off Zabuza and Haku, and we divided our payment out of it. This is what’s left.”

“Enough to feed five families for five years, at least,” the Hokage mutters. “Very well. You’re dismissed.” He waves them off, sharing a look with his son. “Oh, and _please_ don’t make Kushina wait too much longer. You know she’s just going to hunt you down and stand over you if you do.”

The four of them bow before taking their leave. Naruto’s mask is firmly in place when they exit the office, but Kakashi can tell he’s growing tired of hiding constantly. In a few more days, he can leave the mask behind until a mission calls for it. In a few days, the two of them will be--

“Sasuke!” Naruto barks when they reach the street. “That’s enough!”

The genin takes a half-step backward, surprised, wide, dark eyes trained on Naruto’s mask.

“Your ideals about shinobi must change. First and foremost, you have to accept that shinobi, _all_ shinobi, are trained killers.” The tension in his spine is putting Kakashi on edge, he doesn’t like it when Naruto’s upset. How long has Sasuke’s attitude been bothering him? Why hadn’t he said anything? “We follow orders, sometimes we make decisions for our country and her clients because there’s nobody there to tell us what to do. I made a decision, Sasuke. It’s hardly the worst thing I’ve ever done. Are you going to condemn me for it? Are you going to condemn Kakashi for his deeds, or your brother for his? We are not glorious soldiers, we don’t always have the opportunity to show mercy. If you can’t accept this job as it is, I’m afraid you’re in the wrong field of work.”

Before anybody can say or do anything, Naruto _shunshins_ away, leaving Kakashi to smooth things over after the unexpectedly harsh lesson.

A lesson that, apparently, Sasuke needed to learn. His shoulders are slumped, his head bowed. Sakura gazes in the direction Naruto disappeared in.

“You really hurt his feelings, giving him the cold-shoulder like that,” she eventually comments to her teammate, breaking the silence that has settled over the three of them. Sasuke frowns at her, but at least he’s not staring at his feet any longer.

Kakashi hums in agreement, trying to banish the urge to dismiss the genin in order to follow after his fiance. “He doesn’t get harsh like that unless he’s hurting.” He places a hand on each of their heads, herding them toward the bridge where the three of them met for their first D-Rank. “Sasuke-chan, didn’t it ever occur to you what kind of missions ANBU take?”

The genin shakes his head. “I didn’t really think about that part.”

Sakura, to Kakashi’s surprise, huffs a laugh. “Aren’t you supposed to be from one of the founding clans of the village? Did you ever sit down to learn any history? At all? Before Konoha was built, your clan and the Senju were at war for years. Your ancestors _lived_ for murder.” She clicks her tongue. “And you were at the top of our class. I’m disappointed in you, Sasuke-kun. Face it, you saw a severed head and you choked up. And look, you’ve made Kitsune-sensei upset and he’s not gonna come back!”

 _I think it’s safe to say I may have underestimated Sakura a little bit._ “Okay, relax. Kitsune-chan will come back, believe me. He just needs a hug. And some sleep, because he’s still recovering from his last mission.” The three of them stop at the bridge and the genin turn to face him when he ruffles their hair. “Usually, I would give you guys a week off after something traumatic like that, but as members of my team, I want you guys to be at my wedding.”

Sakura’s jaw drops. “ _That’s right!_ Kushina-sama mentioned you were getting married!” She pouts. Even Sasuke looks less gloomy, almost _curious_. “To who?!”

_To who? They haven’t realized? What kind of shinobi-_

“Well,” he mutters, “I guess you’re just going to have to wait and see, ducklings. Three days, alright? If you aren’t there, you’re going to hurt _my_ feelings.” He eye-smiles at them for good measure. “Sakura, why don’t you go home and get some rest?” She nods, shooting Sasuke a look before bounding away. Kakashi leans back against the railing.

“I looked up to him for a long time. And I told him he didn’t have to protect me, that I could handle it, so he _told_ me. He even told me that Gato was dead, but then… Then I saw what he did with it, and I…”

“It’s called shock, Sasuke. For all the training you’ve done, all the time you spent in school, you’ve never seen anything like that. I have to give credit to Sakura, I’m impressed that she’s not just as affected as you are. _But_ , she’s the one who found Kitsune outside the gates after his fight with Madara and from what I understand, she was quite affected by that. I would have been, too. She told somebody when they evaluated her that she didn’t understand how somebody could be alive when more of their blood was outside of their body than inside it.” He’d been given the details about the interview because she’s his student, but he would have asked for them either way, knowing his fiance was so close to death. He had wanted every scrap of information about the condition Naruto was in when he was found.

Sasuke takes a deep breath, straightening his spine and meeting Kakashi’s eye. “I’m sorry, Sensei.”

Kakashi shakes his head, crossing his arms. “You haven’t done anything to me, Sasuke; I want you to apologize to Kitsune. Don’t make him feel like he doesn't deserve your admiration simply because he’s good at his job. The fact that he’s good at his job can only mean good things for our village and this team.” A moment passes, and Kakashi can only hope that Sasuke has learned a valuable lesson. Maybe more than one. “Go home. Get some rest. Let him calm down before you go looking for him, okay?”

“Hai.”

/

The sun is low in the sky when Gai makes his way into the village proper. The day has been filled with arduous training, and a good meal before he goes home is just what the iryo-nin ordered (at least, he assumes so, he hasn’t actually asked; he just knows he’s hungry). He’s not in the mood for the grill, but a good bowl of ramen sounds _marvelous_. It’s been quite some time since Gai has paid a visit to Teuchi-san.

The village is still bustling with activity when he reaches the ramen stand, but the sole patron currently occupying Teuchi’s counter is anything but lively: the ANBU looks positively somber.

His first instinct is to turn his smile up to 120% and greet the other customer with utmost enthusiasm, but a second evaluation has Gai settling onto the stool beside the other man a little more gently than that.

The young ANBU is bent over a bowl of ramen, though the food looks untouched; the line of his shoulders is tense, burdened.

“Your food will not eat itself, young comrade.”

In the next moment, the other’s head snaps up, and he turns on his seat, the one-eyed mask boring into him. “Gai-san!”

_That looks like the old Kitsune mask, if it had two eyes-_

“Kitsune?” _Naruto?_

“Oh!” He laughs, somehow seeming a hundred times lighter. “I guess it’s not exactly common knowledge, huh?” He taps the right side of his mask where the other eyehole should be. “I had a new mask made after the last one was shattered on a mission.” Naruto shrugs. “Man, is it nice to finally meet you! I’m pretty certain Kashi’s been working very hard to keep us out of each other’s orbit! Rude of him, really.”

Gai sits taller, pulling his arms into his chest and fighting the urge to break into tears. Naruto has wanted to meet him? _Naruto_ , the youngest ANBU ever? The Yondaime’s beloved son? Has wanted to meet Gai?

“It Is My Utmost Pleasure To Be Meeting You As Well; My Rival Is Most Taken With You!”

Naruto chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck, suddenly bashful. Kakashi had said that Naruto was shy, but Gai wouldn’t have known it at first glance. Now, though, perhaps understanding that Gai knows his identity, he seems a bit more subdued. “I’m quite taken with him, too,” he answers. “Hey, you didn’t happen to get an invitation, did you? I think my mom forgot to send a few invitations out. Sheesh, I’m gonna have to hunt Itachi down, aren’t I?” Naruto’s hands flutter for a moment, until he drops them onto the counter and grips the edge. _A nervous habit? Anxiety?_

“An invitation?” Gai prompts, confused. _An invitation to what? From his mother?_

His first meeting with Naruto isn’t exactly going the way Gai might have expected, and the ANBU seems so young, Gai’s sorely tempted to think of him as a boy despite knowing that he’s a jonin sensei and has been working S-Rank missions for many years.

He nods, tapping his fingers against the counter while Gai gives his order to Teuchi. When Gai turns to him again, he chirps, “To our wedding!”

And Gai splutters, because _what?_ _A wedding?_

_Kakashi is getting married? Hatake Kakashi??_

And the man beside him cackles, entirely amused at the expression that must be displayed on Gai’s face. How long ago was it that Gai tracked Kakashi to Kitsune’s apartment to find him drowning his sorrows in _sake_ and cup ramen because the person he’d spent twelve years searching for had been under his nose all along? How long has it been since Gai discovered that Kitsune and Naruto, who--from Kakashi’s stories--had been so similar, were actually one and the same?

How long has Gai known Naruto’s identity and not recognized that his closest friend and eternal rival had been falling in love?

“Gai-sensei!”

Just in time to save him from making a fool of himself by asking when exactly they had gotten engaged, one of his precious students appears, dropping onto the stool to his left and calling an order across the counter before addressing him. “Gai-sensei, I was wondering if you could help me with senbon practice in the morning? I’ve mastered kunai and swords, but senbon are such a _pain_!”

Naruto leans around Gai, peering into Tenten’s face. “Hey, I know you! You’re little Tenten! But you’re not little anymore!”

Her mouth falls open; she gazes wide-eyed at Naruto’s mask. “Wait! Your mask is different!” She points at him, bouncing on her stool, excitement breaking out across her face. “You’re the babysitter that showed the little Uchiha what you really look like!”

Some of the wind seems to leave Naruto’s sails at the mention of the Uchiha boy ( _Sasuke... Isn’t he on Naruto and Kakashi’s team?_ ), but he nods all the same. “That’s me! Good memory, Tenten-chan, you were only three at the time!”

Tenten grins, but turns back to Gai with a pout in the next moment. “Sensei? Will you help me tomorrow?”

His students seem to advance so much every single day, and a part of Gai hopes that they fail the exams just to give him a little more time with them before they’re inevitably placed on permanent teams, or sent on missions that they won’t return from. “Of Course, My Precious Student! However, I Can Only Help So Much: Senbon Have Never Been One Of My Strengths!”

Naruto clears his throat. “I mastered senbon a long time ago; I’d be willing to help you train with them if you wanted, Tenten-chan. That is, if it’s alright with your sensei, of course.” A lone blue eye focuses on Gai, asking for his opinion. His permission.

He has it, of course. The truth is, Gai’s incredibly interested in Naruto’s abilities. Who trained him before Obito? Before he went to Jiraiya-sama? He’d _love_ to witness Naruto in action, and he muses over the idea of getting their teams together for a training session or two. “We Would Be Much Obliged, Comrade! I Think It Would Be Most Advantageous For Young Tenten To Work With A Master!” _Kakashi may actually combust if our teams started training together._ The thought makes Gai smile.

The three of them fall silent, returning to their meals, and it isn’t until another stool is occupied that the conversation picks up again.

“Neji-kun!” Naruto greets brightly, a bit more of the tension leaving his frame.

Neji is an enigma. He feels so constricted by his clan’s rules, but he has surpassed most of his clan’s members in many ways. He carries so much anger and hatred for the head of his clan, his own uncle, that it scares Gai just a little.

Sometimes, he worries that he will never be able to break Neji out of the shell he has encased himself in.

“Good afternoon, Kitsune,” Neji responds, no ice to be found in his voice. It’s such a far cry from his usual attitude that Gai does a double-take to make sure it’s truly his student who joined them. “My father said you were injured recently, but he didn’t know the extent of it. You lost your eye?”

The blond disguised as a brunet hums. Neji has taken up the seat on Naruto’s right side and orders softly when the owner pauses in front of him.

“Unfortunately.” Somehow, when nobody was looking ( _Did he learn that from Kakashi?_ ) Naruto consumed his entire bowl of ramen, along with two more that are stacked in a pile to the side. “I was in the hospital for a few days, but then we got a new mission that had us out of the village for awhile so I didn’t get to talk to anybody outside of my team afterward. Hey, are you guys going to take the chunin exams this year?”

Two out of three of Gai’s students look to him for an answer; Neji, gaze expectant, says nothing, but Tenten puts on her best pout, clasping her hands together, “ _Please_ , Gai-sensei? We’re ready!”

Naruto laughs at her. “Wow, you’re pretty good at that, Tenten-chan! I bet you might’ve even gotten him to cave with that pout on your face!”

She beams, cheeks flushing red, though Gai isn’t sure if it’s from embarrassment or the praise.

“Did I forget about a meeting, Gai-sensei!” Lee appears at Gai’s elbow, repeatedly bowing and stumbling over an apology.

“My Precious Student! You Forgot Nothing! What You See Before You Is A Meeting Of Circumstance!”

“Gai-san, he’s like a mini you!” Naruto hunches his spine in order to be closer to eye-level with Lee. “It’s a pleasure to meet you! You must be Rock Lee! My fiance has mentioned you once or twice! You only train in taijutsu, right? That’s so cool!”

Lee gazes at Naruto, tears streaming unbidden down his cheeks. There’s nothing exaggerated about them for once, and Gai wonders if Lee hasn’t just found something of an older brother to look out for him. To look up to.

“It Is My Utmost Pleasure To Meet You, Kitsune-san!” Lee bows low, face hidden.

“Are you hungry, Lee? All that work probably gives you a big appetite!” Naruto turns to the owner. “Hey, Old Man, Team Gai’s meals are on me!”

Gai starts spluttering for the second time this afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a guy walks into a bar! a GAI walks into a bar! it's ingenious!!!


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three shinobi work through their feelings; featuring some light stalking and a game of hide and seek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am dedicating this to the loml [Alfy!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sadistcutey)
> 
> _you are a true gem_

When Kakashi rolls out of bed, the sun is just starting to rise over the village. He doesn’t want to get up, wants to stay in bed with his fiance and continue to doze until at _least_ noon, but he hasn’t even started his wedding vows, yet, and they certainly aren’t going to write themselves. Who knew telling the person you’re marrying how much they mean to you could be so nerve-wracking?

He doesn’t want to mess them up, is the thing. It’s not that he doesn’t have the words, but there are so many things he _could_ say, and it’s hard to choose when there are years and years of hurt added to the oceans of love Kakashi wants to spout. Where does he even begin?

Yes, he’s perfectly aware that he’s probably overthinking it, but-

But if he’s going to make Naruto cry, he at least wants to do it the right way.

_If there are tears, I want them to be good tears. He only has one good eye, anyway._

Oh, and doesn’t that ache? Naruto, his sunlight, his whole heart, left with one good eye on top of the multitudes of trauma in his life. He wishes he could take that pain away, could take it onto himself, could do anything to repair the damage his meddling has caused, even if he hasn’t meddled yet.

_Get it together, Kakashi. No more pain._

No more pain, because they’re getting _married_. Madara is dead, the Akatsuki are dead or scattered, and Kakashi gets to marry the love of his life. In two days.

_Kami, I’m running out of time to write these vows._

With a tender kiss to Naruto’s mop of blond hair, Kakashi is out the window and bounding over rooftops toward his destination: who better to help Kakashi with his vows than his oldest friend and rival?

“MY RIVAL!”

Kakashi lands lightly on Gai’s balcony, sinking onto the empty chair at the cafe table where Gai takes his breakfast most mornings. The first time he’d stumbled across Gai during the morning, he’d just returned from a particularly brutal mission wherein he was forced to assassinate an entire family. Gai hadn’t asked for the details, but he helped lighten Kakashi’s burden anyway, just by being himself.

“Ohaiyo, Gai. Do you have the morning free? I would appreciate some… advice.”

As if a switch has been flicked, Gai stands from his chair, entire demeanor transformed. He has dropped the animated rival for the understanding friend. _There are no others like Gai._ He truly is a gem. “Let me put on some tea, first, my friend.” When he returns with the pot, he settles into his seat and gestures for Kakashi to continue.

“I’m getting married in two days and I haven’t written my vows. How am I supposed to put into words all the things he means to me?”

Gai slides a mug across the cafe table, taking care not to spill its contents. “Drink your tea. You are overthinking, Kakashi. Don’t be an idiot.”

Some people would be offended. Kakashi knows that Gai’s right. “I just don’t want to mess this up.”

But his friend smiles, a glint in his eyes. “I truly do not think it is possible, my friend. I had dinner with your fiance last night, and that is the only reason I am even aware that you are getting married.” He shoots Kakashi a quick glare. “I wish I would have heard it from you, first, though, Kakashi.” But the glare doesn’t last and Gai continues, “That fiance of yours is quite taken with you, and seemed fairly upset that I hadn’t been told.”

_Gai had dinner… with Naruto?_

“Dinner?”

A nod. “I didn’t recognize him at first with his new mask; he seemed quite burdened and our chance meeting was really very successful.”

“Ah… Sasuke has been giving him the cold shoulder since he killed Gato in Wave.”

“Gato… The name sounds familiar, but I don’t recall who that is.”

“He ran a crime syndicate out of Wave Country and ruined their economy. He’s the reason our client paid for an escort in the first place.” Kakashi waves a hand, dismissing the topic. “Anyway, Kitsune delivered the bounty to the village and when Sasuke figured out what he had done, he started acting… _differently_ toward Kitsune.” He sighs. “You must have bumped into him after he chastised our little Uchiha. He doesn’t do well when people are angry with him.”

“Then I am glad my pupils were able to cheer him up.” Gai grins. “They are each quite enamored with him, now.”

_It’s no surprise to me. I don’t blame them._

“Now, Kakashi. What is it that you really want to say in these vows? Every word counts.”

He steadies himself, sipping from his mug, and then he begins.

/

Sasuke and Sakura lay flat on their stomachs, sides pressed together, having followed Kakashi to another jonin’s flat. From where they’re perched on the roof, they can see the other man clearly, though Kakashi-sensei faces away from them.

“I kind of expected him to say something to us by now,” Sakura whispers, their ankles bumping. She’d dragged him out of his apartment just before dawn, dark circles under her eyes, and said, _“I waited outside his apartment until he left this morning. Surely he’s going to go see his fiance, right?”_

He’d pointed out that he might live _with_ his fiance, but Sakura had said that she hadn’t seen anyone else go in or out of his building since she followed him there, so he must live alone.

“I can’t believe you stayed up all night to make sure he didn’t leave,” he mumbles, hoping they’re out of range of Kakashi-sensei’s phenomenal hearing. The man can hear for miles when he tries, but Sakura and Sasuke are gambling on the fact that he’s distracted.

So far, their gamble is paying off.

“Look, if we’re able to figure it out before the wedding, it means our skills have improved,” Sakura murmurs back to him. “I don’t think he has any idea I’ve been following him, and when he left his apartment this morning, I trailed him here before coming to get you.” The two of them hunker down to wait, straining their ears.

_“-you showed me a tenderness I had never known. Each moment spent in your presence you teach me how to love-”_

Sakura’s wide eyes meet Sasuke’s own confuddled gaze.

“Is he telling the one in spandex that he loves him?” Sasuke hedges carefully. He really had thought for a while that their two sensei were into each other, but when Naruto-sensei’s mother addressed Kakashi directly and didn’t address Naruto himself, Sasuke just figured they were really close friends. _Really_ close.

Speaking of Naruto-sensei, Sasuke really should go looking for him. That had been his original plan for the morning, until Sakura dragged him out of bed several hours too early.

Still, this isn’t exactly a waste of time. It may feel a little silly, but Sasuke supposes he can consider it training. Maybe he can use it to break the ice in his conversation with his other teacher.

He shakes himself, tuning back into Kakashi-sensei’s conversation. _“For some, a marriage is a leap. For us, I like to think it’s just proof, because our lives have been entwined from the very beginning.”_

A part of Sasuke kind of wants to give the man a hug. Who knew their aloof sensei felt this way for somebody? Especially somebody who thinks wearing spandex is cool…

He sighs, bumping Sakura’s shoulder. “Hey, you should go home and get some sleep. I think we have all the evidence we need, don’t you?”

The circles under her eyes look even more prominent now that the sun has risen higher in the sky, and his teammate simply nods in agreement. “Yeah, no arguments here. He said so many wonderful things, Sasuke.”

 _Oh Kami, she’s reverting._ “Do I need to walk you home, or do you think you can make it? I really should go looking for Naruto-sensei.”

Her face brightens a little. “I can make it home, Sasuke-kun, don’t worry about me. You should go make amends.” They go their separate ways, and Sasuke drops down to the street, mind running over the possible conversation starters. He’s so engulfed in his thoughts that he doesn’t notice the person in his path until he knocks into the man.

“Sasuke-kun? Careful, there.”

Sasuke ignores the heat crawling up his neck. “S-sorry, Iruka-sensei. How have you been?”

/

Iruka’s day had started out fairly normal. He got up, went for a jog, and stopped at the grocer’s on his way home like any other day. But he hadn’t expected to run into Sasuke (he never runs into Sasuke now that he’s a genin, only sees him at the missions desk), or for Sasuke to look so downtrodden.

“Are you feeling okay? You look tired, Sasuke.”

“That’s because Sakura dragged me out of bed at dawn,” the boy deadpans. Except Iruka thinks there’s more to it than that, and if one of his former students is having a rough time, Iruka wants them to feel comfortable talking to him. He knows how hard it can be to adjust to the life of a shinobi, and knowing that Sasuke has been loved and protected for most of his life is a firm reminder that sometimes, clan children _aren’t_ prepared as well as non-clan shinobi.

“No, Sasuke, I don’t think that’s it. How about I buy you lunch and you tell me what’s on your mind?” Iruka waits patiently while Sasuke weighs his options, hoping that the genin will take him up on his offer.

The boy kicks at the dirt, his gaze faraway. “Okay. Thank you, sensei.”

They end up at Ichiraku Ramen. He doesn’t really know why, but the atmosphere of the little ramen stand somehow always puts Iruka at ease, and he’s hoping the place will do the same for the genin at his side. They sit quietly while the owner makes their food, but it’s clear that Sasuke is gearing himself up to talk. Iruka can only pray that he’ll be able to help.

“We went on that escort mission,” he starts, “and we were attacked by a missing-nin from Kirigakure. He worked for this crime lord who was working out of Wave, but then Kitsune-sensei dropped his _henge_ and this missing-nin literally gave up just like that.” Sasuke snaps his fingers to make his point. “I didn’t know Kitsune-sensei was that intimidating. We didn’t even ask him any questions because we didn’t know what to say.” He leans his elbow on the counter, staring at his ramen bowl, food untouched. “He told them that he would pay them more than what Gato was paying them if they assisted in dealing with him. I just assumed they’d scare him.”

 _So Kitsune assassinated somebody on this mission._ “I think it was uncalled for that he made you watch.”

Sasuke’s head whips up, brow furrowed. “He didn’t. We didn’t even know. I woke up and he was just getting back to the house.” The boy scoffs, looking away. “I knew he had done it, but I made him say it anyway.” Sasuke shakes his head. “But the next morning, we escorted the client to the bridge and the crime lord’s head was displayed.”

“A bounty fulfilled,” Iruka acknowledges. “I don’t really know much about Kitsune; I’ve never even met him. But I know he used to capture bounties all the time.”

“I wasn’t prepared.” He scowls at the counter, white knuckling the edge. “I was kind of cruel to him after that, and it hurt him.” He clears his throat. “I haven’t seen him since we got back.”

“He’s a grown man, Sasuke.”

“He’s nineteen,” Sasuke corrects. “He’s been serving our village since he was a little kid. He’s a good person and I treated him like… like I was ashamed of him. Like he didn’t deserve to be one of the people I look up to.”

_Kitsune’s nineteen?_

“Wait, you’re saying he’s younger than me?”

Sasuke glances around the immediate vicinity, like he’s about to share some secret. When he’s dubbed the space to be safe enough from prying ears, he leans a little closer. “Kitsune-sensei is Yondaime-sama’s son.”

Something drops in the pit of Iruka’s stomach. The night that Yondaime-sama’s son disappeared, he’d been playing in the streets with Mizuki when suddenly it felt like this unbearable heat was closing in on them. The two had looked up into an awesome, horrible face, the face of the demon fox that Iruka had only ever heard the barest whispers of.

Iruka had hidden himself in an alley, had seen the toddler scamper by, and had been unable to locate the boy when he tried to follow him. The next thing he knew, the great beast had simply vanished, and teams spent all night looking for that boy. But the ANBU Kitsune hadn’t appeared until four years later, so… where had he been during those four years?

“What happened to him?” he hears himself ask.

Sasuke makes a face. “I think my cousin knows. I saw his face when I was really little. He was babysitting and my brother took me to play with the other kids so that he could help Kitsune watch them. When nobody else was looking, he took off his mask.” He shrugs. “How old was he when he disappeared?”

Iruka rubs his jaw. “Four. He was four years old. Kami, the whole village grieved, it was only Kakashi-san and the Hokage himself that believed he was alive. Nobody would listen to them, and the council declared the boy dead when nobody was able to find him. Right when he went missing, his mother fell really ill. It was Kitsune who healed her, but if he _is_ Kitsune… He couldn’t have been very far.” He shakes himself. “I don’t remember much about the boy he was, but everybody who knew him said that he was really shy. The only time he came out of his shell was when his protector was around.”

“His protector?”

“Your sensei, Kakashi-san. He was Hokage-sama’s student, but from what I know, that kid was always with him up until he disappeared. Kakashi practically ran himself into the ground trying to find him after that day.” _It must be maddening to know he was right under Kakashi’s nose the whole time._ Iruka sighs. It’s really none of his business. “If what they used to say is still true, Kitsune probably has a pretty hard time being a teacher. You guys aren’t toddlers anymore.” They sit quietly for a moment, enjoying their food while musing over the conversation so far. “So, you want to make amends, is what you’re saying.”

The genin nods his head, a guilty pout painted across his mouth.

“Why don’t you just tell your sensei how you truly feel about him? I’m sure you understand his actions now, don’t you?”

“Yeah. Thanks Iruka-sensei.”

/

Naruto flops onto his back, agitated and overwhelmed. He’d sent a message to Itachi when he’d rolled out of bed this morning; luckily, Itachi had been in the village, because otherwise, Naruto would’ve had to ask Obito for help, and he thinks Obito’s just a little too close to Kakashi to be all that helpful.

Kakashi was already gone by the time Naruto woke. Naruto can guess where he’d gone, and the thought makes him smile, but only briefly.

He sighs, rolling onto his stomach with his face pressing into the grass. If he wasn’t wearing a mask, he’d practically be eating the dirt. _I wonder what he’ll say to me. What promises will Kakashi make to me?_

_He’s gonna promise that he’ll always look for me. He said as much before._

“Kitsune-chan~” a familiar voice sings. Two sets of footsteps pad toward him on the grass.

Naruto groans. “Hi, guys.”

“What’s wrong? Your message seemed a little…”

“Desperate?” he asks, sitting up and folding his legs together.

Itachi and Shisui stare, though it takes a moment for Naruto to remember that they haven’t seen him in nearly two months. They don’t know what happened in his fight with Madara. He rubs the back of his neck, reaching out with his senses to be sure that nobody is going to stumble upon them if he removes his mask. When he’s certain, he drops the porcelain onto the grass at his side.

“My wedding is two days away and I need help writing my vows.”

…

“Your _wedding_ is in two days? Why didn’t you say anything?” Shisui sits first, pulling Itachi onto the grass at his side. Itachi doesn’t let go of his hand after he’s seated. Naruto blinks. _Wait a minute-_

“Hey! You guys are together!”

Itachi opens his mouth to reply, but Shisui beats him to it. “You’re getting married in two days!”

**He’s not wrong.**

_Kurama! You’re awake! Have you just been ignoring me this whole time?_

**It’s my turn to sit back and relax. Why should I care if you have a hard time telling that dog that you love him more than the universe itself? That everything you’ve ever done has been for him, to keep him from losing everything he loves?**

Naruto shakes himself, wrapping his arms around his middle and slouching. “Yeah, well, I didn’t know when my wedding was until yesterday when we got back to the village. My mom forgot to invite you guys, and she forgot to invite Gai, too.” He pouts. “Do you think you guys can help me?”

“I’m sure we can help you, Naruto-chan, but first. What the hell happened to you?”

Itachi sighs, put upon, glancing at his lover. “You could be a little more delicate, you know.”

Talking about Madara isn’t exactly Naruto’s idea of a good time. It’s the opposite, really, but these are his friends, they care about his health. And it probably gets annoying being out of the loop. Naruto wishes he had known that their relationship had changed. Wishes he could have found out about it first and celebrated their happiness.

“I fought Uchiha Madara.”

A moment passes. The two Uchiha before him share a loaded glance. Out of their clan, they probably have a better understanding of exactly what Madara is capable of. The kind of destruction he aimed to wrought. The kind of person he became.

“Can we get a little more background on that, Naruto, buddy? Like, how did you find him? Why is he even alive? What’s he planning?” Shisui leans a little closer, his single eye focused intently on Naruto’s. Itachi’s thumb rubs circles on the back of Shisui’s hand.

Naruto sighs, hunching in on himself even more. “I’ve been tracking Madara for years. Since I was… six? Maybe? Kurama helped at first, even though he didn’t want to go anywhere near the man. Anyway, once I dealt with his pawns, I finally had the chance to hunt him down. Besides, he’s not alive anymore. Madara’s dead. He was planning to put the entire planet under the Infinite Tsukuyomi. He wanted to reform the Ten-Tails.” Naruto wouldn’t have succeeded if the Kakashi from the future hadn’t given him the most important information. He’d been prepared: he left a letter in Naruto’s cave listing dates and details that nobody else would have known. “It wasn’t exactly the easiest thing I ever did… But I finally got the upper hand, and when Madara realized he was going to lose, he did this.” He points to his empty eye socket, offering a small grin to lighten the weight of it. “Who’d’ve imagined we’d have so many people losing eyes in this village, huh?” A shrug. “Anyway, that’s about it.”

Itachi sighs, shoving Shisui until he topples. He gestures Naruto over and shoves him onto the ground beside Shisui. When the three of them are lying side by side, they curl around each other.

It’s not the first time. Itachi’s method of comforting Naruto is full-proof. Sometimes, it’s almost as nice as being in Kakashi’s arms.

**Don’t let the dog hear you say that.**

_I think Kakashi would be happy that he’s not the only person who can comfort me._

_Besides. It’s_ **_almost_ ** _as nice. Nothing beats Kakashi._

The two of them hold him, murmuring ideas for his vows in his ears. They don’t realize that they’re helping rid the rest of his doubt about Sasuke, as well. He wouldn’t even know how to bring it up. Doesn’t want to. Would they be angry at him? Or worse, angry at Sasuke?

Naruto hates the thought of being a disappointment, but, perhaps more importantly, he doesn’t want them to be disappointed in Sasuke. He’s only twelve years old. He has a long way to go before he’s ready to face the demons of their world.

“Thank you,” he whispers. Itachi’s fingers weave through his hair. He can feel Shisui’s breath fanning across the back of his neck, Shisui’s hand stroking his back.

“We’ve got you for now,” they tell him.

_“We’ve got you.”_

_**Bonus** _

_This is a total drag._

“Hey,” Ino whispers from Shikamaru’s left. “Who is that blond? It’s not the most common hair color in this village, you know.”

The training exercise wouldn’t have been so bad if it was a simple game of hide and seek. _Ninja_ hide and seek is a little more troublesome, though. They have to suppress their chakra as much as they can and relocate themselves in the woods somewhere while Asuma-sensei tracks them. They’ve been in the same spot for awhile, now, inadvertently spying on an ANBU who must be too distracted by something to notice their presence. Surely ANBU can sense three genin, no matter how good they are at cloaking their chakra.

Right?

His back has been to them the entire time, though, and the moment he takes off his mask, his spiky brown hair transforms into a mop of semi-floppy blond.

The fact that two Uchiha Clan members joined him moments before that probably has something to do with the physical removal of his disguise, but it still catches Shikamaru and his teammates off guard.

“I can’t tell, but he looks upset,” Choji murmurs. He’s not even eating any chips. Maybe Asuma-sensei’s comment about truly trying to keep him from finding them got through to his need for constant sustenance.

_His voice sounds familiar._

Shikamaru considers his options. He could send some chakra to his ears, try to pick up on what the trio is saying, but he’ll definitely be located by Asuma-sensei if he does. They can attempt to move closer, but three highly trained shinobi will hear their movements if they do. Their only real option is to wait and hope that the small group will speak louder. In the shinobi world, eavesdropping is pretty much expected of you.

“Hey,” Ino hums, regaining their attention. She nods toward the oblivious trio in the training field. “Do you think this is a love triangle? The long haired one loves the short haired Uchiha, the short-haired Uchiha loves the blond, and the blond loves the long haired one. What do you think?”

Choji shakes his head, leaning forward on his perch. “No, the blond is in love with both of them and they’re turning him down.”

Shikamaru strains his ears, inching closer to the edge of the branch he’s on.

_“-wedding is in two days? Why didn’t you say anything?”_

He coughs. “No, the blond is getting married, he just said something about a wedding.” Below, the blond hunches in on himself. The other two are seated on the ground, hands entwined. “And the other two are dating.”

Ino and Choji both sag a little. Ino sighs. “Well, I still say they’re all kind of in love with each other.” She gestures at them. The blond has been pulled into their arms. “I mean, look at that!”


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asuma locates his students (finally), Sasuke makes for Naruto's apartment (with some help), Tsunade receives an invitation (late), Gai takes a stroll (and collects two students along the way), and Naruto receives a few kisses before his wedding (and gives one).

To be completely and totally honest, Asuma hadn’t expected his team to do this well when he told them they would be hiding from him, chakra and all. He’d thought that he would give them a ten minute head start, and then he’d begin his search; however, the minute they’d disappeared into the woody area of their training ground, their chakra signatures had diminished to almost nothing, making it exceptionally hard to pinpoint them with his senses.

That was nearly two hours ago. He hadn’t expected the game to last longer than thirty minutes, at the most. The _most_.

_I wasn’t aware that they would be able to hide their presence so well. I guess this means it’s time to up their training regimen._

The faintest sound, a rustling in the bushes somewhere to his left, makes him pause, listening.

_“-the other two are dating.”_

Asuma creeps toward them, silent, curious. He’s hiding his own chakra so that they don’t know where he is.

 _“Well, I still say they’re all kind of in love with each other,”_ comes Ino’s voice, buried in the brush at the edge of their training ground. Instead of sneaking up behind them, he slinks to the edge of the woods to see what has the three of them so distracted, but instead of finding anything incredibly interesting, Asuma only finds a group of boys piled together in the grass. _“I mean, look at that!”_

Apparently, even Shikamaru has allowed himself to be distracted. Asuma fights the urge to sigh. He’s not truly disappointed in them; for three twelve years olds, they’ve hidden from him quite well. Two hours is longer than he expected.

“What do you think, Asuma-sensei?” His genin are all looking at him expectantly when he reaches their chosen hiding place. Asuma shakes his head.

“I don’t think it’s anybody’s business. This is a training session, not gossip hour.” He crosses his arms. “I do have to say that I’m impressed with you. I figured this exercise would be over by the thirty minute mark. But what’s even more impressive is that you managed to eavesdrop on three jonin while hiding from me. That’s not exactly an easy feat.”

His students don’t bother pretending to be ashamed. He should probably do something about that, but…

If three jonin want to have a private conversation, they should make sure that nobody is eavesdropping nearby. Asuma’s genin aren’t the only ones who’ll take advantage of a situation like this.

“Alright, back to the clearing.” _I’ve never seen that blond around before, but the other two are from the Uchiha clan._

_Maybe they’re both dating him._

/

_I didn’t realize he’d be such a hard guy to find._

Sasuke sighs, dropping onto a bench along the road, wondering if a miracle will give him the answers he needs in order to find his teacher. There are less than two days before Kakashi-sensei’s wedding, and Sasuke’s pretty sure Naruto-sensei will be there, but a wedding isn’t a proper place for the apology he needs to make.

He’s been looking for the guy for nearly three hours, though.

“Sasuke?”

He jumps to his feet, relieved beyond belief. “You know where Kitsune-sensei lives, don’t you? I haven’t been able to find him.”

Kakashi smiles with his exposed eye. “Of course I know where he lives.” He pats Sasuke’s head. “Come on, I’ll leave you at the building. I have to meet with Kushina-sama this afternoon and it’s on the way.” They’re quiet for most of their walk, but Kakashi’s hand is gentle on Sasuke’s shoulder, and he takes comfort in the gesture.

“Now, Sasuke.” Kakashi pauses outside of one of the taller apartment buildings in the jonin district. “Are you okay?” He crouches down to Sasuke’s level, grey eye kind. “You haven’t exactly had an easy go of it lately.”

To be completely honest, things haven’t been easy ever since his father was arrested, but with Itachi and his mother, Sasuke has a lot more to be thankful for than other people do. He’s wanted to be a shinobi for as long as he can remember, and his actions lately haven’t been the actions of a shinobi, but Sasuke’s perceptions weren’t the cause of anybody else’s failure to teach him. He knows that, because Sasuke didn’t exactly pay that much attention in the Academy. He’d thought he knew everything he needed to.

“I’m okay, sensei.” He looks the man in the eye so that Kakashi-sensei knows he isn’t lying.

A moment passes. Kakashi does his eye-smile thing again and stands. “Okay.” He gestures to the building in front of them. “Go to the third floor, Kitsune’s apartment is the last door on the left.” He checks his watch. “He should be at home right now.”

Sasuke says goodbye and follows Kakashi’s directions, pausing for a moment before lifting a fist to knock on the door. He’s thought of what he wants to say over and over again, but how does a person apologize for losing their faith? Certainly just saying ‘I’m sorry for disappointing you and being disappointed in you’ isn’t enough, right? He needs to be eloquent, needs to-

“Sasuke-chan.”

Sasuke blinks up at Naruto, feeling suddenly very small. He hadn’t even noticed the door being pulled open, and it doesn’t fully register in his mind that Naruto isn’t wearing his ANBU mask. Without really thinking about it, he finds himself in a low bow. “Sensei, I’m very sorry for doubting you and I hope that you can forgive me for my behavior lately.”

A gentle hand slides through Sasuke’s hair. “Why don’t you come inside?” Naruto smiles at him when he straightens up, the hand on top of Sasuke’s head directing him into the apartment. “Have you eaten lunch, Sasuke?”

“H-hai, sensei.”

A nod. “Well, make yourself at home. I haven’t eaten yet, but I was getting ready to make myself something. Do you mind if I cook while we talk?”

Sasuke murmurs that he doesn't, using the next moment to center himself and take in his surroundings. The apartment is well-lived in but clean, and from the looks of it, his sensei doesn’t live alone. There are photos on shelves, a stack of books on the end table beside the sofa, and a medium sized television against one wall. The kitchen shares space with the living room, and a hallway leads toward where he assumes is at least one bedroom and a bathroom.

“How long have you lived here, sensei?”

Naruto hums, pouring rice into a rice cooker. “Well, I moved in shortly after… my fifteenth birthday, so a little over four years. Are you sure you aren’t hungry?”

Iruka-sensei had taken him to get something to eat, of course, but that had been a late breakfast instead of any decent lunch hour (and why had the ramen shop been open that early, anyway?). “Actually, sensei, I kind of am a little hungry.”

Naruto adds a little more rice to the cooker before setting that aside and pouring in the water. While he fusses around in the kitchen, Sasuke pulls out a chair at the table, running the pads of his fingers over numerous gouges in the wood.

His eyes drift back toward one of the shelves lined with photos; there are several featuring Sasuke’s cousin Obito, quite a few with Itachi and Shisui, but the majority include Kakashi-sensei (many of those are obviously candid shots). Actually, there are a handful of candids of both of them looking just as cozy as they had on their way to Wave Country.

“Sensei, what do you know about a jonin that wears green spandex? Sakura and I saw him talking to Kakashi-sensei this morning.”

“Is that where Kakashi got off to this morning?” Naruto mutters. “He didn’t even tell me goodbye!” He shoots a smile over his shoulder, the scars on his face stretching with the movement. “Well, his name is Maito Gai, and he’s Kakashi’s best friend. They’ve been competing with each other for years, although Kakashi tried to keep me from meeting Gai because apparently that’ll just make me more annoying than I already am.”

But Naruto doesn’t sound bitter about that at all.

“What do you mean?”

The blond chuckles, wiping his hands on a towel and turning to the refrigerator. “So, Kakashi and Gai are good friends, but Gai has a habit of getting on Kakashi’s nerves. And because I’m the light of Kakashi’s life, he doesn’t want me getting any ideas.” They fall quiet for a moment while Naruto works, and then he picks up the conversation with a new topic.

“I saw your brother this morning. Have you seen him since we got back?”

 _I could barely face you, how could I have faced Itachi?_ “No, sensei. How is he?”

“A hell of a lot happier than I’ve seen him in years, actually.”

 _Oh?_ Sasuke perks up, resting his arms on the table. “Does that mean he and Shisui stopped dancing around each other like fools?” Itachi and Shisui had always been kind of obvious, in Sasuke’s opinion. So many secret smiles and all the blushing, he’s literally dumbfounded it’s taken them so long. “I don’t know if I’ve ever met a pair of idiots like those two.”

His sensei laughs, tossing Sasuke yet another smile. Sasuke thinks back on Iruka-sensei’s advice from this morning and tries to find the words that will help him make his point.

“Sensei…” He clears his throat and tries again. “Nii-san, I don’t know if Itachi ever told you, but you’ve always been like another brother to me.” Naruto turns, but Sasuke keeps his eyes down. “After our father got arrested, some of the members of the clan started to treat us differently, but something told me you’d always be there if anything happened to Itachi or my mom. I guess in a way, in my mind, you kind of took his place. So... you were never some unreachable ideal to me. I think… I got scared. I was afraid that I didn’t know you as well as I always thought I did, and it kind of felt like losing you. But I didn’t want to admit that I was so attached to you in the first place.” Having finally gotten it off his chest, Sasuke feels like a weight has been lifted, like his burdens, though few, have lightened considerably.

Exactly how long has he been keeping this feeling bottled up?

Before he can try to answer that question for himself, two tanned hands pull Sasuke to his feet until he’s looking into Naruto’s eye (Naruto, who is crouching in front of Sasuke with an expression on his face that Sasuke cannot read). His sensei’s hands rest lightly atop Sasuke’s shoulders.

“Thank you for that,” he murmurs, voice low and strained. “Sasuke, you have no idea how much I appreciate you saying that.” He shakes his head. “I will _always_ be in your corner, okay? You’re right, if anything ever happens to Itachi and your mother, I’m right here. And you know what, nothing _has_ to happen to them for me to be here for you. Anything you need, Sasuke, I’m gonna look out for you. You’re a part of my family, you know? You want me to step into that role for you, just say the word, okay?” He pokes his index finger into Sasuke’s chest, right over his heart. “Just say the word.”

Sasuke battles with his emotions, and his sensei shifts to brush the tears off of Sasuke’s cheeks. He hadn’t even realized he was crying. “Word,” he chokes, burying his face in the blond’s shoulder when he’s pulled into Naruto’s arms.

Maybe Naruto is only nineteen years old, but he’s been taking care of people since he was still a little kid, and Sasuke thinks he doesn’t even realize he does it most of the time. But he’s already a better father figure than Sasuke’s real father ever was; the man had never had the time of day for Sasuke, only ever focusing on Itachi’s accomplishments, and pushing Sasuke to be more powerful.

What if Sasuke doesn’t want power? What if he just wants to protect his home, his family?

But Naruto will let him do that without pushing him to be power hungry. He’s a good man.

“Thank you,” he hears himself mumble, relaxing into the hand that ruffles his hair when he steps back.

Naruto hums just before the rice cooker beeps, startling them both into fits of laughter at the timing. “Well, that’s one way to lighten the mood,” Naruto observes. He nudges Sasuke back toward his chair, returning to the task at hand. “Hey, did Kakashi ask you guys to come to the wedding?”

“Yeah.”

“Great! If he hadn’t, I was going to.”

 _Why would you invite us to somebody else’s… wedding?_ Sasuke blinks, feeling like an idiot. _It’s Naruto-nii’s wedding._

It turns out that he and Sakura had been right the first time around--Kakashi-sensei and Naruto-nii _are_ dating. Er, engaged. About to be married.

_Sakura’s going to lose it._

/

“Good morning, Tsunade-hime!” Shizune chirps, dropping a pile of mail onto the breakfast table. “Our mail got lost in transit so it’s a few days late.” She sits down on the other side of the table, sorting through a second pile of mail while sipping from a cup of coffee, and Tsunade makes herself flip through her own (probably) useless mail.

“There’s one from Uzumaki Kushina,” she finds herself uttering out loud, baffled. _Why would she be writing to me? We’ve never been all that close._

However, it’s not a letter that falls out of the envelope, but an invitation. A wedding invitation to-

“ _What?!_ ”

Shizune, used to Tsunade’s outbursts, doesn’t flinch.

“Shizune, have you spoken to Hatake recently?”

Dan’s niece shoots her a confused look, one that’s probably very well-earned. It’s not like Sakumo’s son is a common conversation piece between them. “No, Tsunade-hime. What did she say?”

“We’ve been invited to his wedding.”

_Who the hell is he getting married to? Kitsune--he’s marrying a fox? No, that can’t be right, it must be a codename. He’s marrying another ANBU, but-_

“Wait,” Shizune says, appearing over Tsunade’s shoulder. “ _Kitsune_ \--isn’t that the ANBU that travels with Obito? They’ve been working in ANBU for years but nobody really knows who Kitsune is.” She shrugs. “We should go, maybe we’ll find out. I mean, Kakashi-san wouldn’t marry somebody he doesn’t know, right?”

 _I don’t know about that, Shizune._ “He might if Minato-kun tells him to.”

The girl rolls her eyes, returning to the rest of her mail and her breakfast. “Now why would Yondaime-sama do that?”

Still, Tsunade’s not exactly comfortable with this. Sure, she hasn’t had much to do with Konoha since Dan’s death and the end of the Second War, but she’s been keeping up with her godson from time to time. To get a wedding invitation like this when she knows that he’s spent the better part of several years hunting for a missing boy just rubs her the wrong way. Yeah, maybe Tsunade has believed the kid dead for years, but for Kakashi to just… suddenly be marrying some ANBU out of the blue? It just doesn’t seem plausible.

Well. She’s going to get to the bottom of this, no matter what. “Pack your things. We’re going.” She squints at the little white card until she finds the date, and then jumps to her feet. “ _We only have five days to get there!_ ”

/

The village of Konoha has always been a lively place; it’s one of the many things Gai loves about his home, and one of the many things he hopes to protect for as long as he lives.

“Gai-sensei!”

He would also like to protect the youth of the village; the children, the students, the genin ninja. Every round face that greets him whenever he steps out of his home. He knows it’s impossible to always be a shield for them--one day, he’ll be too late, or equally in danger, or just _gone_ , and something horrendous will befall his students.

Not today.

“Lee, My Youthful Student, Isn’t This A Fine Day?”

“You’re Wearing A Kimono, Gai-Sensei! Are You Going Somewhere Special?”

_I should have thought to ask if Lee and Tenten had plans for the day._

“I Am,” he replies quickly, shooting his apprentice a smile. “Lee, Are You Busy Today?”

“No, Sensei!”

“Wonderful, Then You Will Be Accompanying Me!” Gai pats Lee’s head. “Change Into Something Formal, My Student! Meet Me Outside Tenten’s Home!”

By the time he has rounded up the two students that aren’t going to the wedding on a family invitation, Gai realizes he’s going to arrive later than he’d planned, but it’s all right because he’d been planning on arriving much earlier than he was directed to. At least Kakashi won’t roll his eyes at Gai this time!

“Now, Children! Make Yourselves Useful And Locate Kushina-sama! Let Her Know That I Brought You And Ask Her If There’s Any Way You Can Help Out!”

“Hai, Sensei!” Comes their response; even Tenten is more chipper than usual. Gai is immensely proud of them, but a part of him is just _fond_. His students are truly the light of his life, and there’s no doubt in his mind that they are going to be amazing when they reach adulthood.

When he reaches Kakashi’s dressing room, his old friend and rival is pacing listlessly, the folds of his clothing starting to wrinkle, and Gai immediately puts out a hand to stop him. “Now, my rival, what on earth has you so wound up? This is a glorious day.”

He turns, giving Gai his full attention, the pain in his eyes on a level Gai hasn’t seen since…

“What if he leaves me again?”

Now, Gai is fairly certain that there are rules about the couple-to-be-married seeing each other before the ceremony, but Gai honestly… cannot bring himself to care. He’s not superstitious about weddings--if two people love each other enough, and devote themselves equally, then a wedding will prosper until both parties have reached the last of their days.

He sneaks Naruto into Kakashi’s dressing room, gesturing to the other groom. “I think it might be best if _you_ talk him down, Naruto,” he murmurs.

Naruto, flustered and confused, turns toward his to-be-husband, who is staring out the small window of the dressing room. One hand flits to his mouth, which has curved into a little ‘oh’. He nods, stepping further into the room, and Gai turns to leave. He's sure that the two grooms will make it through their ceremony.

/

Naruto had left their apartment before Kakashi and hasn’t seen him since with everything on their plates, so when Gai bursts into Naruto’s dressing room and corrals him to the opposite side of the building without a word, Naruto has the momentary thought that Kakashi is actually calling it off.

Which would have been… fine, if that’s what Kakashi really wanted, but also perhaps would have been Naruto’s worst nightmare come to life.

However, it seems, Kakashi has the same fears. Unfortunately, his fears have a greater foundation than Naruto’s own. After all, Naruto is the one who left all those years ago, it’s true, but-

But, really, it was Kakashi’s fault.

He understands why his fiance is at the precipice of a total shutdown, but it’s… vaguely preposterous. Naruto wants to be married to Kakashi and has for… many years. Since he understood what marriage _was_.

He slides his arms around Kakashi’s middle, pressing himself along his fiance’s back. Kakashi’s hands cover Naruto’s on autopilot. “Kakashi~”

“Hmm?”

“Are you thinking of marrying that window instead of me? If so, I’m going to have to complain to the Hokage, and just so you know, he’s my dad and he might have something to say about that.” He drops his chin on Kakashi’s shoulder, though it’s dislodged when the taller man turns in his arms, a strangled laugh tearing out of his throat.

Kakashi gathers Naruto close and presses a kiss to the side of his head, taking a deep breath. “Don’t be silly. As if I would ever marry _that_ window. It doesn’t even open! And I don’t think it’s been cleaned in ten years, at least. How dull.” Another kiss, to Naruto’s forehead. “I love you,” Kakashi murmurs. “Thank you.”

Naruto grins, pressing a kiss to the beauty mark on Kakashi’s chin before pulling away. “I’ll see you out there. And _don’t_ be late, or Obito will think it’s okay to be late to his own wedding, which it _isn’t_ -”

“Go,” Kakashi murmurs, pulling him in for a real kiss. “I won’t be late.”

With that, Naruto returns to his own dressing room to finish getting ready, and he’s infinitely pleased that he’d worn a _henge_ to journey from his side of the building to the other because nobody has seen his face but his to-be-husband, and he hadn’t been wearing his ceremony clothing yet.

Now, considering the fact that neither he nor Kakashi had a hand in planning the wedding, his mother certainly hadn’t faltered in taking inspiration from their tastes--the hall where the ceremony is being held is _breathtaking:_ flowers on every available surface and beautiful tapestries and just the right amount of seating. Having too many people at the wedding would have been a point of anxiety for both of them (though, considering that many of their guests will be bringing their children, perhaps it would be wise to gather a few extra chairs? Or has his mother thought of that and placed chairs accordingly?).

Though, the most beautiful thing of all, Naruto thinks, is the look on Kakashi’s face when they meet at the end of the aisle. The majority of the ceremony, unfortunately, is a blur to Naruto. He remembers casting smiles to his friends among the crowd (and a few _utterly shocked_ expressions, though he doesn’t blame them), remembers reaching Kakashi at the end of the aisle and all, but for the majority of the actual ceremony, Naruto’s mind is… very quiet.

Until his soon-to-be-husband is given the go ahead to say his vows.

Kakashi clears his throat, threading their fingers together ( _Has Kakashi's sharingan been out this entire time?_ ). “The first time I looked into your eyes, I felt as if you were looking into my very soul; from that moment on it belonged to you though you were only a handful of hours old. Our lives have changed rather drastically over the years, but some things haven’t and that feeling remains. Even so, I think I fell in love with you the very first time you disappeared: you scared the ever-living hell out of me, yet you made up for it in a single moment. Do you remember it? You showed me a tenderness that I had never known. Each moment spent in your presence you teach me how to love and every day since I have cherished your presence in my life. I love you with everything that I am, because every day you make me the happiest man that has ever lived. When you were away, when most believed you dead, I knew in my heart that it just couldn’t be. I became somebody that I’m not proud of, and only the thought of finding you was enough to keep me going. Even when you were gone, you somehow still did a million things to help me. You saved me, you saved our friends, and you did all of it with the world on your shoulders. Your strength gives me strength, your hope gives me hope. You took care of me when I thought I was alone. So thank you for coming back to me. Thank you for coming back, but even if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have stopped searching until I found you. I will never give up on you, no matter where you go or where life takes us. My arms will always be ready to hold you, and my heart ready to break for you. For some, a marriage is a leap. For us, I like to think it’s just proof, because our lives have been entwined from the very beginning.” Kakashi clears his throat, lightly, though his voice is thick because of everything he has said. “I really want to make a joke here about entwining, but I think your father may actually kill me.”

Tears spill from Naruto’s good eye, unending, and he lifts Kakashi’s hands to press a kiss to his knuckles as he’s given the chance to say his own vows.

With his heart in his throat, Naruto sends a prayer to his forebears, to the lost Village of his people, to the eddies, the whirlpools, and the trees of Fire Country. _I wouldn’t be here without you, Kurama._

**Just stop your blubbering and get on with it.**

He takes a deep breath and begins. “I fell in love with you before I even knew how to be a person. You were always right there watching over me, keeping me safe, and somehow you let me get away with everything I put you through. I knew before I could form full sentences that I never had to be afraid of you. You became my hero, the person I looked up to over everyone else. I wanted to be somebody like you, to be a protector, to stand between the people I loved and anything that might bring them harm. I wouldn’t be who I am without you. Every day I spent away from you was more painful than I know how to convey, but you searched for me. You never stopped searching for me, and that knowledge kept me afloat. Time and time again, your arms have kept me safe. Your dedication inspires me, your commitment drives me. You are the reason I’m still able to smile. I love you more than the universe is vast, and everything I’ve ever done has been to benefit you and the people we love. I did it all for you, and I’d do it again. But I _promise_ you that I will always, always come back to you. I promise that my masks will always be down for you, that I will always be ready and willing to hear what you have to say, that I will take care of your heart and mind for you when you can’t bear to do it yourself. I know in my soul that we were made for each other, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of forever with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I first started writing this story, I had high hopes that I wouldn't give up on it (set it aside for later, only for later to never arrive, as I have with many others). I thought that it would be sixteen chapters, tops. But here we are. Chapter twenty-five, including a wedding.
> 
> I know, I know, we were hoping for much more from this wedding, but the truth is that I'm not very fond of weddings. Most of the time, I think they're gaudy and tiring and overdone. But I promised a few of you that I would include the wedding, so I struggled for weeks with it and drove myself to levels of anxiety and writer's block that I won't get into details about. But I took a small break, started watching Sailor Moon, decided to take a break from _that_ , watched a few episodes of Naruto with my sister, and then binge-watched The Hobbit. I _finally_ got inspired, so here we are.
> 
> I finished this chapter at midnight and took it to my sister for proofreading, and since she's been helping me write this thing and approves, we decided we were ready for posting.
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me this far. I'm probably going to take another little break from this story so that I don't rush anything, but don't fret! We still have a few chapters left! Please come yell at me or cry with me in the comments!
> 
> All my love to you. <3


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several perspectives of the wedding scene, in no particular order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this in two days and hereby apologize for any mistakes or inconsistencies. It has not been proofread. I need sleep. :)
> 
> _for Soph. i hope you're doing well. i miss you._

_ Why isn’t Spandex Man getting ready for this wedding in a dressing room or something? _ Sakura leans back in her seat next to Sasuke’s, wondering why he’s smirking the way he is. “What’s going on?” She keeps her voice low, uncomfortably aware of Ino to her left, along with some of the other clan kids on Ino’s other side. “What’s that look for?”

Her teammate and, dare she say, friend shoots her a smile, just this side of smug. “Kaka-sensei’s not marrying the spandex dude,” he leans close to say, his shoulder brushing hers.

_ And how’d you find that out, Sasuke-kun? _

“So, Billboard Brow,” Ino’s begins sharply. At least the wedding hasn’t, like, started, yet. Otherwise, Sakura would be appalled at Ino’s lack of manners. “How did you get invited to this?”

Sasuke hums. “Our sensei’s getting married,” he answers in Sakura’s stead, leaning around her to look at the blonde. “Also,  _ Ino _ -chan, I would appreciate it if you would call Sakura by her name.”

Sakura fights the urge to pinch her own arm, wondering if this is all one crazy fever dream. Sasuke’s defending her? From  _ Ino _ ? It’s really, truly unnecessary, but the fact that Sasuke’s even bothering means…

What  _ does _ it mean?

Ino stutters out a reply, cheeks flaming, and on Ino’s other side, Shikamaru heaves a noisy sigh. “Honestly, Ino, why’d you have to start a fight? Aren’t you two supposed to be friends or something?” He stretches out in his chair, crossing his arms over his stomach, but only a moment passes before a hand swipes him upside the head. Sakura chances a glance to the owner of said hand and finds Shikamaru’s father.

“Sit up straight, son,” the man says, though the dry expression he always wears is still quite present. Sakura was never particularly close to Shikamaru, but if there’s one thing she knows, it’s that he respects his father. It’s no surprise that his posture rights itself quickly.

Sasuke nudges her arm just before the ceremony starts. “Just wait,” he murmurs. “You’re gonna lose it.”

Sasuke isn’t wrong.

They were right from the beginning, it seems, because it’s not Spandex Man that walks down the aisle to meet Kakashi-sensei (it turns out Spandex Man is seated just beside Shikamaru’s dad), but  _ Naruto _ -sensei (little gasps come from the majority of the wedding guests, which means they’ve all been kept in the dark about Naruto-sensei’s identity; even Shikamaru seems intrigued). He enters the Hall unmasked, his single eye bright, complexion practically glowing. Honestly, Sakura’s just a little jealous. Nobody has the right to be that pretty. He’s even prettier than Ino!

_ I hope Ino’s Mind Transfer Jutsu doesn’t let her read minds, or this would just be embarrassing. _

“When did you find out?” she hears herself whisper, leaning in so that Sasuke can hear her. He still doesn’t shy away from her, turning his head to whisper back.

“When I went to Naruto-nii’s apartment to apologize,” he explains, “he dropped hints.”

_ Two days! He’s known for two days and he didn’t tell me! _

“Jerk!” she huffs, but she can’t help her smile, especially when Naruto passes their row and ruffles Sasuke’s hair wearing his own pleased grin. It seems that all is well between them again, and the worry she’d been carrying over the situation is lifted. It’s good to know their team is all the stronger for it. A part of Sakura hopes that even after she and Sasuke become chunin, they’ll be permitted to work with their two sensei. Or at least still see them often.

It’s almost like having a second family. One that truly understands her job. She loves her parents, honestly, and they’re supportive of everything she does, but they’ll likely never fully understand why she wanted to become a shinobi in the first place.

And Naruto-sensei  _ is _ the reason. He’s the one who told her what she could become, all those years ago. He’s the one who really started her on this journey.

She thinks maybe Sasuke feels the same way about their team being a family. The time she’s spent with him lately actually makes her wonder if this is what it would be like to have a brother.

_ And Naruto and Kakashi are like our parents. _ The thought makes her chuckle. Beside her, Sasuke hums. “What’s so funny?”

“Which one’s mom and which one’s dad?” she hedges softly. The person behind her covers a laugh with a cough.

Sasuke rubs his jaw, making his ‘I’m-solving-a-problem’ face. “Naruto-nii is younger and shorter, but he’s also kind of a badass.”

Sakura can’t argue with that;  _ however _ , Kakashi-sensei is a badass, too. “They’ll just both have to be dads,” she decides, and Sasuke snorts, nodding. Before either of them can utter another comment, their two newly appointed dads are told to give their vows, and Sakura grasps at Sasuke’s sleeve without realizing what she’s doing. The action is only brought to her attention when he places his other hand over hers, a small smile on his face. Sakura isn’t the only one being affected by this wedding and what it means for the two people who’ve had such an impact on their lives.

_ All in all _ , Sakura thinks,  _ it’s a great day for a wedding. _

/

Obito is absolutely unashamed to admit that his tears begin along with the ceremony, and that they don’t cease until long after the vows are spoken and rings exchanged. Throughout it all, though, Rin holds his hand, shedding a few tears of her own when she witnesses Naruto and Kakashi’s devotion firsthand.

Now, Obito has had a front row seat to Naruto’s devotion to Kakashi for as long as he’s been Naruto’s friend, but even so, he’s affected by his surrogate brother’s speech. He feels like his own wedding vows are going to be inadequate compared to the ones he’s just witnessed, which is…

Terrifying, actually. Maybe he can convince Rin to put off the wedding for another year?

To be completely honest, though, the highlight of the whole thing (for Obito, at least) has to be Kakashi and Naruto’s students deciding that their two sensei are now their dads. He’s forced to hide a laugh behind a cough, and hopes that the other guests are too enraptured with the ceremony to realize it’s fake.

He’s just happy that his two friends are happy. Goodness knows they deserve it, and it’s nice to know that Naruto is finished hiding his identity. Honestly if people were able to accept Obito’s return, they’ll likely accept Naruto’s. Especially if he releases a formal explanation to let people know that, yes, it was a necessary measure.

He was kept away for their safety, after all. He gave up everything to protect the village.

_ Ah, but today is a day for happy thoughts. Now isn’t the time to worry about what people will think. Our friends know the truth, and everyone else will just have to accept what is. _

_ It’s a beautiful wedding. _

_ I wonder if Kushina-san might help us plan our wedding? _

/

Well, to be completely honest with herself, Shizune admits that she hadn’t expected much from this wedding. The Kakashi she’s seen glimpses of over the years had never been very forthcoming, so surely his wedding would be pretty sterile and dutiful, right? Even if he was marrying by his own choice (Tsunade-hime seems pretty certain he’s marrying because he’s being told to), it wouldn’t likely be a very emotional thing, right?

Wrong.

_ I was so very, very wrong. _

Not only are the decorations simple and beautiful, but the other guests are all equally soft-spoken in their seats while they wait for the ceremony to begin, and when Kakashi himself walks down the aisle, his sharingan eye is exposed as though he wants to remember every minute of this day (he still, unfortunately, wears his mask).

It’s when Kakashi’s partner walks down the aisle after him that the guests, including Tsunade-hime, all collectively let out a gasp. Shizune herself is counted in that number, unfortunately. She really hadn’t seen this coming.

Kitsune, it seems, is none other than Namikaze Naruto, Yondaime-sama’s son. Alive. A little banged up, and missing some bits and pieces, but otherwise looking well.

(Beside her, Tsunade-hime’s breath becomes a little choked, and Shizune wisely pretends she hasn’t noticed.)

Considering what both of the grooms must have been through to get to this point, the fact that their relationship is strong enough to  _ be _ a marriage is rather… breathtaking, in its own way. She wishes them every happiness.

_ They certainly look happy. _

And their vows-- _ kami, their vows _ \--are so emotional, so  _ devoted _ , Shizune wonders if her uncle would have said something similar to Tsunade-hime once upon a time. They’d been so in love, Shizune really thought they’d make it.

_ They would have _ , she reminds herself.  _ If he’d survived. _

_ Well, at least these two get to be together. I wonder if they’ll have a family? Or maybe one of them has genin to take care of. _

She leans in close to her mentor, murmuring, “I think it’s a good day for a wedding, don’t you?”

/

For eleven years, Shikaku has kept his mouth shut over this particular secret, and though he’s not exactly at liberty to discuss it either way, it’s kind of nice to not have it weighing on him anymore. Sure, the Hokage and his wife have known for a couple of years now, but considering that their son’s  _ public _ status is that he’s still  _ M.I.A. _ , it’s one big secret revealed.

The moment Naruto enters the Hall, Shikamaru’s posture turns almost rigid, but it takes a moment for Shikaku to figure why--the boy had been tutored by Kitsune. It’s been awhile, of course, but Shikamaru doesn’t forget  _ anything _ .

Actually, Ino seems surprised, too.

Technically, her parents hadn’t been invited, but she was able to talk Shikamaru into bringing her as a guest on the grounds that he owed her or something--Shikaku hadn’t actually paid attention to the why, because he hadn’t really cared. Just as long as they both behave themselves.

If Shikaku hadn’t been on so many missions with both Kakashi and Naruto, he probably wouldn’t have come, but he respects both of them. And considering that Naruto is the reason Shikamaru hadn’t relinquished his right as heir to the Clan, he figures he’ll probably do anything Naruto asks of him (he sincerely doubts he was on Kakashi’s guest list).

Hizashi breathes a quiet sigh, but it pulls Shikaku out of his thoughts all the same.

The bet, it seems, has been won.

Shikaku will be going home tonight with a little more money in his wallet. At the front of the Hall, Naruto’s good eye spills a few tears, while Kakashi’s eyes, though bloodshot from the strain, remain dry.

Hizashi thought he’d played it smart betting on Kakashi, the unlikely candidate, but Shikaku knows better. Naruto’s tough, absolutely. He’s taken on opponents beyond any other singular person’s ability and won. But in all honesty, the boy has a heart of glass, and it’s been broken more than once. Shikaku had been certain that he’d tear up first.

Even Maito Gai, before the ceremony began, had been sure that Kakashi would cry first, because  _ he’d been pretty wrecked in the dressing room. _

Ah, well. The Nara Clan is known for having keen minds.

_ “It’s a pretty nice day for a wedding,” _ Ino whispers to Shikamaru, dabbing at her own tears with a handkerchief.

Shikamaru nods, and his father can’t help but agree.  _ It really is. _

/

Kakashi considers himself lucky. From the moment he’d laid eyes on the blond squeezing the life out of his hands to this moment in time, his soul has been entwined with Naruto’s. He’d never believed in anything hokey like true love or soulmates; not when he learned that his mother died during his birth, not when his father took his own life, not when he met Sensei and Kushina, and  _ definitely _ not when Naruto was born, but-

But things changed between Naruto’s birth and Naruto’s disappearance. Kakashi learned about friendship, about protection, and about love. He learned what it meant to care for somebody so much that you’d give your own life to spare theirs. He learned what it meant to lose somebody without knowing their fate--where they were or if they would be okay. He’d never been given the chance with his parents and his teammates.

Of course, Obito hadn’t actually died, and Rin had been saved right before his eyes, but they’d never been  _ missing _ . He was present for their near-deaths.

It had been different with Naruto. There had been no closure, and it had torn Kakashi apart for so long.  _ So _ long.

No longer.

Here he stands at the precipice, and if Kakashi knows anything, it’s that he’s ready and willing to take this leap, this plunge. From the moment he’d been reunited with Naruto, a part of him had been ready to drag the younger man before witnesses and marry him right away. And possibly chain Naruto to himself so that he could never lose sight of him ever again.

That hadn’t been plausible, of course, but it certainly had been tempting.

By the time he finishes his vows, his soon-to-be husband is practically sobbing. It takes him a moment to compose himself enough to start his own, and Kakashi uses that time to re-settle his nerves. He doesn’t know what Naruto will say, but what he  _ does _ know is that his partner never does anything halfway. It’s why he’d put so much effort into his own vows.

That, and he’d really wanted to bare his soul to the people that make up their (mismatched) family. He wants everybody, not just Naruto, to understand exactly what this marriage and their entire relationship means to him.

Apparently, Naruto wants that, too.

His eyes are just as wet as his partner’s by the end of Naruto’s vows. Kakashi’s not really complaining, though. If anybody deserves to see his tears, Naruto does. He’s always brought to tears by this man, actually. Kakashi can count on one hand the amount of times he has cried, and they all have Naruto’s name stamped on them.

_ At least I’m consistent. _

Before he knows it, the ceremony has come to a close, the majority of their guests are in tears, and Naruto is pressing kisses all over his face (he’s not complaining about that, either). He feels kind of detached from the excitement of everything. Mostly, knowing that they’re officially bonded in matrimony, Kakashi wants to gather his husband into his arms and go  _ home _ , where they can just  _ hold _ each other and be  _ held _ .

It’s a shame that they cannot simply disappear into the crowd like they would at any other event.

“I love you,” Naruto murmurs into his ear, their embrace lasting only another moment before they finally separate to dutifully welcome their guests.

Kakashi doesn’t have any more words at the moment, though, so he presses a kiss to the side of Naruto’s head, tapping out his response against Naruto’s spine.

_ I love you, too. _


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iruka has a bone to pick with several Jonin Sensei (and the Hokage, while he's at it)--it doesn't go well; the genin are told about the Chunin Exams; Obito gives a report; Shikamaru learns a little backstory while stargazing (and gets motivated); and a pair of husbands talk about their ducklings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer than I expected. The majority of it was written in the last several hours (I got to work around 6pm, it is now... 2:27am), so any and all mistakes are mine. This has not been proofread.
> 
> I struggled with this chapter a lot, but I'm relieved that it's now out of my hands...
> 
> Also, bit of a time skip. I'm not sure how much time passes between the wave arc and the chunin exams in canon, but for the sake of this story, it's been a few months, at least. Naruto turned twenty in that time.

“I taught these kids, Hokage-sama. Sure, they’re talented, but they’re _not_ ready for the chunin exams! It hasn’t even been a year since they graduated! In my opinion, first year genin shouldn’t even be allowed to _participate_ in the exams!” Minato opens his mouth to respond, but before he can get a word in, the academy teacher continues. “And why are Sasuke and Sakura even getting to participate in the exam? They don’t have a third teammate, that puts them at a complete disadvantage!”

“Iruka, I understand that you are worried, but the jonin instructors have all recommended _their_ students for the exams. Frankly, none of the rookies are your responsibility any longer.” Honestly, Minato agrees that he was (perhaps) a bit hasty in recommending his own genin; _however,_ Kakashi had taken the chunin exam before Naruto had even been born. Minato had been a proud teacher--and he’s almost certain that Sakumo had always supported Kakashi’s drive for perfection. To this day, he hasn’t heard of a single student who surpassed Kakashi’s personal success rate (his son doesn’t count because he hadn’t even gone to school, and it’s a miracle that he learned how to write). Also, of course, when Obito and Rin had graduated and gone on to take the exams, Minato already had one successful chunin. They took their exams with a substitute genin who hadn’t passed his first time around, and they’d needed as many genin to get promoted as possible with the war going on.

“And though it would _seem_ like Sasuke and Sakura are at a disadvantage, they’ve actually been training with two former ANBU.” He crosses his arms, looking Iruka in the eye. “Besides, there’s a genin without teammates that will be taking the exam with them. He was one of Danzo’s recruits, but he hadn’t finished his training when that man was arrested.”

_Besides, working with Naruto and Kakashi for a week might bring him out of his shell a bit._

“Hokage-sama, these kids are too young!”

Minato sighs, glancing toward the corner of the room with the small sofa. Naruto is seated with his feet up on the table reading through mission reports as punishment for--well, Minato’s not sure what he did to upset his mother, but Naruto had been grinning when he walked in, so it was probably harmless.

He’s not reading through mission reports at the moment, though, because he’s been listening to Iruka rant since the moment the academy chunin walked in.

“They’re just kids, Hokage-sama. And their parents are fine with this because they were raised into it, too, but I care about them as if they’re my own and I don’t believe that they’re properly prepared! What if it was your kid? If your kid hadn’t even been a genin for a year, would you be comfortable with them taking this exam?”

Naruto stands, and Minato does nothing because honestly, he’s speechless.

“He doesn’t know what he would have done, Iruka-san, because as far as he knew, I was either missing or dead.” His kid crosses the room to stand where they can all see each other, arms folded around himself. “Listen, I understand your concerns, I really do. But how long have you been an academy teacher? Long enough that you’ve seen a few classes graduate, right? You’ve never argued against the previous genin taking the exams, right? So, why now? My team, Asuma’s team, _and_ Kurenai’s team are filled with talented and bright young students, and even if they don’t pass the exam, they will have gained an incredible experience that will help them become even better shinobi.” Naruto cocks his head. “Do you want to know what I think? I think you’re worried that some of them might actually pass, and that they’ll be sent out on missions they won’t be ready for.”

As important as this conversation may be, Minato’s ready for it to be over. “Look, the rookies have already been recommended and approved. It’s up to the students to decide if they’re ready for the exams or not, and nobody can make that decision for them. You forget that my first student took this exam when he was six years old. Kakashi’s a prodigy, so he’s the exception to the rule, but the rule _is_ that any team recommended by their jounin sensei has approval to apply for the exam. If each team member applies, then those students will be permitted into the exam room. Your opinion on the matter is, overall, just an opinion. I’m sorry, Iruka, but the decision has already been made. And Naruto, you are a grown, _married_ man. Your mother cannot put you in timeout.”

Naruto grins, all severity gone. Honestly, the way his moods change with the atmosphere is rather baffling. “I know, but she didn’t get to ground me for anything when I was a kid, so I figured I’d let it slide a few times. Besides, it’s my day off, and Kakashi told the ducklings that they didn’t have to meet us until this afternoon.” He squeezes Minato’s shoulder before turning and jumping out the window. As much as Minato would like to blame that behavior on Kakashi, Naruto has always been the type to climb, jump, and run away. He has way too much energy.

“I’m so sorry, Hokage-sama.”

When he turns back to Iruka, the man is rather pale in comparison to his righteous indignation from before.

“I was out of line. It’s not my place to question you, especially not about your son, and _especially_ considering what your family has been through.” He shakes his head, eyes on the carpet. “I can’t believe I forgot.”

“If my son had been born before I was a jounin sensei, it’s possible that I would have felt differently about letting them take the exams when they did,” Minato admits after a moment. “And considering everything that my students went through, I agree that they were probably too young to be chunin. But we were in the middle of a war, and honestly, there were no other options. This generation is different, Iruka. I can’t put my finger on it, but I have faith that no matter what happens, these kids are going to be just fine. So please, accept that they aren’t your students anymore. It’s out of your hands. The best thing you can do for them is support them. Offer them advice if they come to you with their fears, and root for them if you come to watch the exams.”

The teacher bows, turning on his heel and exiting the office as swiftly as considered polite, but Minato is already burying his nose back in his work, because honestly? He just wants to go home and see his wife.

_Was she really punishing Naruto for something, or did he just want to spend time with me?_

/

It’s not a normal training day.

Sakura knows this because both of their sensei are acting a little odd. Not only does Kakashi-sensei keep glancing at Naruto-sensei from the corner of his eye, but Naruto-sensei seems a bit out of sorts as well.

She doesn’t like it.

“Naruto-nii, why are you both acting so shady?” Sasuke asks, blunt as ever. A part of Sakura wants to scold him for it, but the rest of her is just glad that he was willing to say something. She doubts she would have talked herself into bringing it up. “Is something wrong?”

But then Kaka-sensei eye-smiles at them, and Naruto-sensei grins like a psychopath. “I’m so happy you asked, Sasuke-chan! Kakashi and I have nominated you both for the chunin exams. Your applications are due in three days, which gives you a decent chunk of time to think about whether or not you’re ready to take them.”

“We really get to take the chunin exams, sensei?” If they’ve been nominated, have their classmates been nominated, too? Is Ino’s team going to take the exams? Or HInata’s team? “What about the other students we graduated with? Were they nominated, too?”

Kakashi-sensei nods. “Ah, Asuma and Kurenai both nominated their teams, as well. And Team Gai will be taking the exams, too.” He crosses his arms. “However, you shouldn’t let their decisions sway your own. It’s up to you to decide if you’re going to take them or not.”

“We would never force you,” Naruto-sensei adds with a softer smile. With that, they go on to tell Sakura and Sasuke that they won’t be training for the next three days, but that if they’re needed, they’ll be available.

“Are you going to take them?” Sasuke asks the moment their teachers leave. He doesn’t move, doesn’t even look at her. Does he know something she doesn’t?

_It’s possible. What if he knows we won’t pass? What if the exams are dangerous?_

“Are you?”

Sasuke snorts, dropping spread-eagle on the ground. “I asked you first, brat.”

“Well, I don’t know. If Kakashi-sensei and Naruto-sensei recommended us, does that mean they think we can do it, or that they just want us to gain some experience?” And more than that, what if they don’t think Sasuke and Sakura can really do it? Is that a bad thing, or a good thing? Shouldn’t they be more cautious, like Gai-sensei was with his team?

“Oi, Sakura.” Sasuke kicks out a foot, knocking into her shin. “Stop overthinking it. Naruto-nii and Kakashi-sensei care way too much to put us into a competition that will just get us killed, right? Come on, we have family dinners every week. Would they really do that if they wanted to get rid of us?”

“No.”

He’s right, Sakura’s just being silly. Naruto-sensei even said that they would never be forced to take the exams. Their teachers are just giving them the opportunity.

“We should take them, Sasuke-kun.” _After all, something tells me Team Asuma is going to take the exam, and this will give me the chance to show Ino how much I’ve grown! Yeah! She won’t even know what hit her!_

“You’re thinking about Ino again, aren’t you?” Sasuke deadpans, smirking at the sky.

Sakura hits him.

_Bastard._

/

Obito’s a busy man. On top of regular missions and wedding planning, he’s been working a completely separate mission for several years that, quite frankly, he’s beyond ready to put an end to.

He has all the proof he needs to launch an attack, but with the chunin exams just around the corner, he’s iffy about doing anything that might upset the other villages that will be in the area.

But if _that man_ is targeting his little brother on Konoha soil, Obito’s going to flip his lid.

Obito sighs, knocking softly on the door to Sensei’s office.

 _“Enter.”_ Sensei sounds tired, so Obito isn’t at all surprised to see him seated on the sofa instead of at his desk when he pushes the double doors open.

“Obito,” he greets, conjuring up a small smile. “Is this a social call or are you here on business?”

Obito gives a slight bow. “Unfortunately, I’m here on _urgent_ business relating to the mission concerning the so-called Sound Village. The head of the village is none other than Orochimaru, and he’s been stalking Naruto each time he leaves the village. I think he’s going to attempt to apprehend Naruto again. If he’s been studying him ever since he abducted him nine years ago, it’s likely that he’ll be able to subdue Naruto in a way Naruto isn’t prepared for.”

_Kami forbid the man would just give up and move on to a different target._

“The investigation of his motives has so far been inconclusive. Power, longevity, kekkei genkai--it could be anything, Hokage-sama.”

Sensei forces himself to his feet, reaching for the scroll that Obito promptly hands over. “Everything that I know is written down for you.”

Minato-sensei settles at his desk, placing the scroll down and clasping his hands together. “Alright. I’ll get Shikaku in here and we’ll work on a strategy. Is it possible that Orochimaru will strike during the exams?”

“So far, he hasn’t set foot in the village, and his spies never stay for long. I don’t personally think he’ll attack Naruto within the village--I don’t even know if he realizes that he’s been hunting for your son. Every chance I’ve had to listen to his meetings, he only calls him Kitsune. My guess is that he’ll wait until Naruto leaves the village again before making a move, or he’ll take somebody as bait.”

The Hokage nods, hand in his chin. “Does Naruto realize Orochimaru has been stalking him?”

“If he does, he hasn’t said anything to me. I didn’t tell him I’ve been investigating Orochimaru ever since the Incident, but he’s keen.” He cocks his head. “You think I shouldn’t say anything?”

“Not yet. Let’s try to get through the exams. Unless you really believe Orochimaru will make his move during the exam, we should wait.”

“I don’t think he’ll make his move until after, Sensei.” After they agree not to tell Naruto, Obito starts out of the office, but something compels him to stop. “Are you alright?”

His Hokage smiles, something genuine though it’s tinged a little sad. “Kushina thinks she might be pregnant.”

Typically, this would be happy news, but… Sensei’s family has been through so much. Is it safe for Kushina’s health to have a baby? And even if it is, are she and Sensei ready to add to their family? It’s been over twenty years since their first kid, and they didn't really get to experience a whole lot of _his_ childhood.

Well, actually, Naruto didn’t have much of a childhood after _that night_.

“Has she been to the hospital, to be sure?”

Minato shakes his head. “People talk, and until we’re sure, we don’t want anybody to start any rumors.”

“Well, Rin won’t start any rumors, and unless Kushina gets checked out, it’ll take a few months to be certain.” Obito clears his throat. “Maybe talk to your son?”

“That’s what we’re worried about.”

Honestly, so is Obito. Naruto didn’t get a lot of time with his parents, and if they’re really having a baby now that he’s married himself, will he be able to cope with that? Or will he feel like he’s being replaced? Will he think that they love him less because of everything? Will he worry that he isn’t enough as he is?

“Don’t wait too long, okay Sensei? It really sucks, breaking his heart.”

_I hope he can handle this. He’s been through so much._

/

_This is such a drag…_

Shikamaru would sigh if he wasn’t so lazy, but even taking such a deep breath feels like too much work right now. After a day of _rigorous_ training, courtesy of Asuma-sensei, they find out that they’ve been nominated for the _Chunin Exams_? Seriously? They’ve been genin for less than a year, and they’re supposed to take the exams?

Sure, they’ve been given a choice, but as a team of clan children, it’s expected of them to take the exams as soon as they’re nominated. And for most genin, being nominated for the exam is… well, both Ino and Choji were pretty thrilled. Ino’s psyched to be going up against Sakura and Sasuke, and Choji said something about earning a buffet if he passes.

_There’s no way we’re all going to pass. What if somebody gets hurt? I don’t want that on my conscience._

“Shikamaru?”

He tips his head back to find Kitsune--that is, Naruto-sensei--standing over him.

“Are you okay?”

He hadn’t thought anybody would be out in the training fields at this hour, and especially not Team Asuma’s training field.

“Tch. How’d you find me, Sensei?”

The blond smiles at him, and Shikamaru pretends it isn’t unnerving to look into the face of somebody with only one eye. It’s not like he can’t stand the sight, it’s just that Kitsune’s true face isn’t what Shikamaru ever imagined. He’d been pretty speechless when Kitsune started down the aisle at his wedding and it turned out that Kitsune was Yondaime-sama’s son. “Well, I thought you might be worried about the exams. I know Asuma-sensei nominated your team. You’re not as easily persuaded as the others, and I figured maybe you might want to talk about it. Your dad said you haven’t been home since breakfast this morning.”

Shikamaru sighs. “Hey, how long have you known my old man?”

“Well, I remembered him from before I was taken from the village, but as far as actually interacting with him… I was eight years old? I lived in the Forest of Death, which is, admittedly, a really dangerous place to live. People like your dad and Hinata’s uncle use it to train, so considering I lived there, one of the ANBU informed the Sandaime that there was some kid in the forest, and he and your dad came out to talk to me. Jiji was pretty sure it was me out there, so I guess that’s why he brought your dad with him. I remembered him, but I really hadn’t interacted with him much before then.” Naruto-sensei rubs the back of his neck before sighing and sitting down at Shikamaru’s side, flopping onto his back to watch the sky while mirroring Shikamaru’s position.

_Naruto-sensei was eight, which means I must’ve barely been a year old, if that. I can’t imagine becoming one of the elite ninja at eight years old. I don’t think anybody in our graduating class would have been able to handle that._

“Did you ever take any of the exams?”

Naruto-sensei hums. “No. I was four when I started my training, and I only got a year before my teacher had to leave. I didn’t get a new teacher until I was seven, and even then, Obito was barely a chunin himself. If we hadn’t been in the middle of a war, Obito probably wouldn’t have been a chunin at all.” He turns his head, studying Shikamaru’s face, but the genin refuses to look away from the stars again. “I really wish I had gotten to go to the academy and train with my age mates, take the exams like normal genin. But I think I might have passed them if I had taken them when I finished my first round of training. I had to learn really fast, because my teacher was really sick.”

“Did he die?” The question comes out more blunt than Shikamaru intends, but a part of him can’t help but ask. He’s been curious about Kitsune for years, and the fact that he’s getting _answers_ from him…

“I don’t know.” He smiles again, turning his gaze to the sky. “My teacher disappeared exactly one year after taking me from the village. He gave me an important job, and that’s why I was gone for so long. Of course, you could say it was unfair of him to put the fate of the world on the shoulders of a five year old kid, but I like to think I got the job done.”

_The fate of the world?_

“Wait, so everything you’ve done since you were kidnapped--the Akatsuki, the missions all over the continent, dealing with Madara… You’ve been working on that since you were _five_?” Shikamaru doesn’t know when exactly he sat up, but Naruto-sensei pushes himself up, too, leaning back on his hands.

“He gave me a to-do list,” the man comments dryly. The right side of his face is sunken in to the point that it almost looks painful, and the part of Shikamaru that isn’t filled with righteous indignation at Naruto-sensei’s fate wonders if the blond is even bothered by it, but he reminds himself not to bother him about it when there are plenty of other things to worry about.

“Sensei… Why did it have to be you?”

Naruto-sensei shrugs, looking a little helpless. “I don’t know, Shikamaru. But I don’t regret the things I’ve gone through. Besides, I came out here to talk about _you_. You already know more about my childhood than my own genin.” He smiles, though, to let Shikamaru know he’s not really mad. “I know that there are expectations and responsibilities riding on your shoulders, Shikamaru, but nobody can force you to take the Chunin Exams if you don’t think you’re ready for them.”

“But Ino and Choji want to take them, and they can’t take them unless I agree, too.” Which raises the question: how are Sasuke and Sakura supposed to take the exam when there are only two genin on their team?

_I’m sure they have a plan for that. Genin that haven’t passed, or that no longer have a team._

He tries not to consider what would leave any genin teamless.

“Your teammates will understand, Shikamaru. Even if they give you a hard time, it’s not worth putting your safety at risk if you think you aren’t ready.” Naruto-sensei drops a hand on Shikamaru’s shoulder, the contact gentle and comforting. “But, you know, with a brain like yours, I bet you can outsmart any other genin in the exam. I truly think that if you put your mind to it, you can pass the first time around. You have to want it, though. If you don’t take them this time, you’ll definitely be ready to take them six months from now, and six months isn’t so long that your teammates will hold a grudge.”

_He thinks I can pass the first time around?_

“Do you really mean that?”

“Well, yeah. Six months really isn’t a whole lot of time.” The Hokage’s son releases Shikamaru’s shoulder, but he pauses when Shikamaru rolls his eyes.

“That’s not what I meant. Naruto-sensei, do you really think I could pass the exam the first time around?” He doesn’t know why, but Naruto’s words have lit a fire in his chest. If Naruto-sensei thinks he can do it, Shikamaru actually… really wants to prove it to him.

“Of course I do! I’m pretty sure I would have passed my first time, and you’re a whole lot smarter than me, Shikamaru.” He grins. “I’m not ashamed to admit that, because I think you’re awesome! Just know that if you decide to take them, I believe with my whole heart that you’re going to pass. And if you don’t think you’re ready, that’s perfectly okay, too.”

The former ANBU-turned-Sensei pushes himself to his feet, messing up Shikamaru’s ponytail while he walks away. “You should go home and sleep on it, okay?”

_He believes in me. Naruto-sensei doesn't just tell people stuff like that, but he’s always checking up on me._

_He really thinks I can do it._

“Oi, Sensei!” Shikamaru jumps to his feet, hurrying to catch up with one of the few people he actually looks up to. “Thank you.”

Naruto smiles, more genuine than the earlier grins, and wraps an arm around Shikamaru’s shoulders. “If everybody was as easy to read as Ino and Choji, Asuma-sensei might’ve realized how much you were struggling with this decision. But you’re too intelligent to simply jump on the bandwagon, Shikamaru. You have my support whether you take the exams now, six months from now, or five years from now. Just as long as you’re the one calling the shots on your own fate, okay?”

_Why can’t everybody be like Naruto-sensei?_

“What about your genin? Are they taking the exam?”

Naruto shrugs. “We didn’t tell them that the whole team has to agree, which will put less pressure on their decisions, but something tells me that both of them will end up applying. Sakura and Sasuke are both competitive by nature, and all Sakura talks about is wanting to impress Ino. If Sakura applies, Sasuke will apply. And if they both apply, then they’ll have a third teammate ready and willing to work with them for the last two or three days before the exam.”

_Ino’s going to blow a gasket when I tell her Sakura’s taking the exams just to see her._

_If Naruto-sensei thinks I can pass… And Sasuke’s going to be there to see it…_

_It looks like I’m taking the Chunin Exams._

Shikamaru breathes a sigh. “What a pain.” He leans into Naruto-sensei’s comfort for another moment before finally pulling away. “It looks like I have an application to fill out.”

“Eh? Really? You’re gonna take them?”

“Sure. I wouldn’t want Sakura to be disappointed if Ino gets benched because of me. And if Sasuke’s taking them… Well, I guess I’m just going to have to show them all who’s the real prodigy of our class.”

Naruto chuckles. “My genin may be strong, but you’re definitely ahead of them,” he agrees lightheartedly. “Goodnight, Shikamaru. Get some rest.”

_I wonder if I can pass the exams while sleeping._

/

Kakashi’s half-asleep by the time his husband crawls in bed beside him, fresh out of the shower and smelling like sunshine and honey. After an unusually quiet dinner, Naruto had admitted that he had something on his mind that he wanted to deal with and skipped out on dish duty (Kakashi really can’t complain, he never has a good excuse for skipping out on dish duty, but he does it anyway and Naruto lets him). Besides, Obito had dropped by with some new information on Orochimaru’s movements, but ultimately believes that the man won’t make a move yet. Regardless, they’ve been keeping the investigation from Naruto, mostly because they both have a score to settle with the snake bastard, and if Naruto finds out what Orochimaru’s up to, he'll just confront the man without them.

“Kakashi?”

“Hmm.” He rolls, pinning Naruto to the bed and burying his nose in his damp blond locks.

“Do you think they’re ready?” His fingers trail meaningless patterns on either side of Kakashi’s ribcage. “ _Really_ ready?”

_Do I think Sakura and Sasuke are ready for the Chunin Exams?_

“Well…” He drops a light kiss behind Naruto’s ear and listens to his husband’s steady heartbeat, taking comfort in it. “I don’t think they’ll pass the first time around, but I think they’ll do well in most aspects.”

Naruto hasn’t ever witnessed an exam. Kakashi asked when he realized that the exams were coming up, but Naruto explained that he was always on missions during the exams, no matter what village they were being held in. And despite Kakashi’s explanation, Naruto must still be nervous about sending his kids into it.

“They’re strong, they're going to be okay. We can’t protect them from everything, right?”

After a moment, he sighs. “Did I tell you what Sasuke said to me the day he came to apologize?”

He hadn’t. Things had been rather hectic, to say the least, but Naruto _had_ seemed pretty pensive after Sasuke’s apology.

_I can’t recall if it was a good pensive, though._

“He said that he was afraid that he didn’t know me as well as he thought he had, and it scared him because in his mind, I had begun replacing the father he lost when Fugaku was imprisoned.” Naruto lets Kakashi maneuver him in the bed until he’s tucked up under Kakashi’s chin, curled up in his arms.

“And what did you tell Sasuke?”

“That of course he’s a part of my family, and if he really wanted me to step into that role, he only had to say the word.”

_Oh, Naruto. You can’t protect him from everything._

“Is that why he and Sakura keep calling us Mom and Dad?” _Explains a lot, actually._ “Which of us is which?”

His husband buries a laugh in Kakashi’s chest. “Obito says the two of them decided at our wedding that we switch roles too much to be specific.”

_And here I thought our little ducklings were too innocent for that kind of discussion._

“Should I be worried about those two?” he asks, but he smiles in spite of himself, because honestly, Kakashi doesn’t think he’s ever been so happy in his life. He feels like a complete and utter sap just thinking about it, but of course, Naruto brings out the sap in him.

“I don’t think they realized the insinuations they were making. We’re just lucky it was Obito eavesdropping on them, and not somebody else.” He presses a kiss to Kakashi’s throat, settling more comfortably in his arms with a sigh. “Thank you, Kakashi.”

“Hmm?”

“You always make me feel better.”

He wants to say _one minute with you is a lifetime of happiness._

“Go to sleep,” he murmurs instead, running his fingers through his husband's hair.

Naruto hums, poking Kakashi in the stomach. “I love you, Bakashi.”

_“I love you, too.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting somewhere, finally! We're getting to the end that I (kind of) envisioned when I started planning this story, which is... I don't even know what to say. Thank you for reading!
> 
> Any guesses for where this is going?
> 
> <3
> 
> (P.S., when the work is completed, I'll go back and move the timeline to the end of the work.)


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some pillow talk (clean), followed by a grocery run, and the Chunin Exams begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been about a week since the last chapter took place.

_ I can’t believe I’m going to have a little sibling! That’s so cool! _

“Naru-chan~” Kakashi hums against the side of his head. “You’re practically vibrating, how am I supposed to sleep?” His arms tighten around Naruto’s middle, hands sliding against Naruto’s belly. “At least you’re warm.”

“I’m just excited, this isn’t something the  _ other _ you could’ve predicted! I mean, it’s a little weird considering I’m grown up and married, but you know what? Nothing about my life has been distinctly normal in the least.” He rolls over, nuzzling against Kakashi’s bare neck. “Aren’t you even a  _ little _ excited?”

“Of course I am, but I’m also exhausted. We’ve been training with the kids non-stop.”

Naruto snorts. “We’ve been training  _ genin _ , Kashi. It’s more like a balanced workout for you. You just stayed up too late last night reading Ero-sennin’s newest erotica.”

Kakashi shushes him, but he pulls Naruto closer all the same.

_ I want it to be like this forever. _

“Kakashi?”

“Mhm?”

_ I’m so lucky. _

He takes a deep breath and lets it out, letting his body relax so that his husband can sleep. “Nevermind.”

_ We’ve been through so much. And so have Mom and Dad. Kakashi and I have time, and we have our genin. There’s no need to rush anything. _

It had been a shock, of course. Naruto hadn’t considered the fact that his parents were keeping  _ this _ kind of secret, even if he had known something weird was going on.

Apparently, his dad had confided in Obito, who urged them to get a professional opinion, but Kakashi had been kept out of the loop (surprisingly).  _ I suppose they assumed he’d just outright tell me. _

_ They were probably right. _

But he’s happy for his parents. Hell, Naruto’s over the moon! Not only do his parents get to be  _ parents _ again, but Naruto gets to be a brother! A real one, not a surrogate brother--not that there’s anything  _ wrong _ with it, but he can’t pretend that there’s not a difference.

Truthfully, though, he wouldn’t trade a single member of his family for the world. All of his genin (even the ones that technically aren’t his students), his husband, their friends, his parents, his own surrogate brother… Naruto wouldn’t trade a single one.

Still. He’s pretty excited about getting a sibling that he hasn’t earned through careful consideration and guidance.

A sigh. “I love you,” Kakashi says, voice muffled against Naruto’s hair, “but you’re all wound up again.”

_ Dammit. _

/

“So, how do you think Sasuke-chan will do in the exams?” Shisui asks, swinging their clasped hands. Itachi hums, lips pursed while he studies their grocery list.

“Considering they’ve been working hard to train with their new teammate, I say he’ll do fairly well. If they’d put less effort in, he’d probably do alright in the third phase, but knowing he’s comfortable with both teammates will definitely help.” He pauses, cocking his head. “Did you actually put dango on the grocery list?”

“Wait, were you joking about that?”

A moment passes, but a miniscule smile flits across Itachi’s lips.

“Anyway,” he continues, before Itachi can argue for the sake of saving face, “do you think he’ll pass?”

“No.” His boyfriend shrugs, giving him a conspiratorial look. “I love him, but Sasuke’s still a child in some ways. Sakura-chan will likely become a chunin before he does.” He sounds amused, though, and unbothered.

_ “Ne, Kakashi, will you--I can’t reach.” _

In unison, Itachi and Shisui glance to the side. In the aisle they’re passing by, Naruto reaches clumsily for something on the top shelf. They both know that he can be more graceful than the two of them combined when he really wants to be, but then, that’s what’s beautiful about his relationship with Hatake Kakashi--he doesn’t  _ have _ to be anything. He’s allowed to be clumsy and annoying and shy when he’s with Kakashi.

Of course, Itachi and Shisui have talked in depth about Naruto and how important he is to both of them, and if he ever needs them, Shisui knows that they’ll both step up and offer him as much as they can.

But he’ll probably always prefer Kakashi over anybody else, and they’ve accepted that.

Still, seeing the  _ proof _ that he and Kakashi are good for each other is an entirely different level of understanding. In one move, Kakashi steadies Naruto and collects the item that Naruto had been attempting to obtain--all without taking his eye off of the book in his hand. The only change is the blush the tinges his exposed skin when Naruto presses a kiss to his masked cheek as a ‘thank you’.

“He’ll be okay,” Itachi observes softly, squeezing Shisui’s hand, and then adds, “we’ll be here if he needs us.”

But Shisui doubts that he will.

Instead of voicing that thought, he brings Itachi’s hand to his lips and presses a kiss to it, pulling him away from Naruto and Kakashi.

_ We’ll be okay, too. _

/

“I can’t believe you yelled at the proctor.” Sasuke despairs dramatically, one hand on his chest. “I cannot believe that you, Sakura, shouted at an  _ Exam Proctor _ about how you’re  _ sure _ that our graduating class will pass the first exam with flying colors.” He squints at her. “I only knew, like, three of the questions on that page. I can’t believe you.”

“Well, face it!” Sakura stamps a foot. “I answered at  _ least _ seven questions, but that’s because I did nothing but study when we weren’t training. I hoped that giving everybody a boost of confidence might at least propel a few of us through the rest of it.” She imagines that if Naruto-sensei was in their class, he would have done the same thing--that’s why she did it in the first place. How was she supposed to know that the tenth question was just a test of how many of us would stay in the classroom? “And anyway, what was that with Shikamaru? I saw him do…  _ something _ .”

“Actually, that was Ino. She did her mind transfer thing to get his answers. Apparently, Shikamaru’s a genius. She told me so, for some reason.”

“I guess it wouldn’t have been obvious in the academy. I mean, all he did was sleep.”

Sasuke hums, kicking at a stray rock while they follow the rest of the exam participants and their new proctor toward the second exam location.

_ Interesting… this is an unexpected development in the ‘I used to have a crush on Sasuke but now he’s like my brother’ show. Ugh, why did I decide to call it that? _

“Did Naruto-sensei’s advice help you at all?”

Her teammate snorts. On her other side, her other teammate clears his throat. “I thought it was a bit optimistic at first, but considering that most of us only passed because you stood off against Ibiki-san, I’d say Naruto-sensei knew what he was talking about. This hasn’t gone the way I was expecting at all.”

Sai is a genin just like she and Sasuke, but Sakura had never seen him until the day he was introduced as their new teammate. He’s pretty backward as a social being, unfortunately, but after some  _ horribly uncomfortable _ conversations, one bad nicknaming event, and a harsh blow from one of Sakura’s fists, they’ve grown to really get along. If he leaves their team after the exam, she thinks she might actually be sad to see him go, even if they’ve only known each other for less than a week.

“What do you think of our senseis, Sai? Are they anything like you expected?” They really don’t know much about him, except that he’s an artist--a really good one, too.

“Not quite. The man who raised me was a lot different than Kakashi-sensei and Naruto-sensei. He forced his students to fight each other to the death before they could become full-fledged shinobi. I wasn’t old enough, but a few of the students before me explained it to my older brother after Danzo-sama was arrested, and Shin explained it to me.”

_ Why does that name, Danzo, sound familiar? _

“Danzo?” Sasuke asks, his voice hard. “Danzo raised you?”

“Something like that.” Sai doesn’t elaborate, and Sakura doesn’t want him to, because it’s been quite a while since Sasuke’s voice has been that hard and icy.

He must be able to sense her confusion, though, or maybe Sai’s curiosity, because he says, “Danzo is the man who ripped my brother’s boyfriend’s eye out of its socket and reasoned that it was for the ‘good of the village’.” After a moment where the three of them walk in silence, Sasuke releases a deep breath, knocking his shoulder into Sakura’s. “Anyway, Obito-nii-san is the reason that Danzo is in jail. Unfortunately, Shisui’s eye was damaged in the struggle, and they weren’t able to salvage it.”

“Wait, isn’t Obito-san also missing an eye?”

Sasuke actually smiles this time, amused. “He gave it to Kakashi-sensei a long time ago.”

_ That’s right. When we were on the mission with Tazuna-san, Kaka-sensei was using that eye that he keeps covered all the time. I was so worried about everything else that I didn’t stop to consider why. _

_ But I wonder why Obito would have given Kakashi-sensei his Sharingan. Is that not a little odd? _

_ Nobody gave Naruto-sensei an eye when he lost his own. _

“This is the place,” Sai murmurs, pulling Sakura out of her thoughts. The group of test takers and proctors stops outside of a tall metal fence that stretches on for miles in either direction, and a sense of foreboding settles in the pit of Sakura’s stomach.

_ Something tells me I’m not gonna like where this is going. _

Behind her, Shikamaru's voice is filled with dread, "This is such a pain."

/

If this is where the second exam is taking place, Shikamaru’s willing to bet that quite a few teams won’t be making it out of this intact.

Training Ground 44, otherwise known as the Forest of Death, the place where a kidnapped Namikaze Naruto was trained and raised by an unknown adversary after his fourth birthday. A place that Naruto-sensei himself said was a very dangerous place. Dangerous especially for  _ genin _ .

_ Okay. Okay, it’s fine. Naruto-sensei told me that I could pass the first time through if I tried. And I’m not on my own. _

By the time the Proctor finishes explaining the rules and lining each team up at it’s gate, Choji has eaten through several bags of chips and Ino has scolded him five times. But Shikamaru can’t help feeling like something is going to go  _ terribly wrong _ .

...

Four days in, InoShikaCho have collected their second scroll, but they’ve been cut off from the tower for half a day, and Shikamaru’s at his wit’s end because they haven’t seen a friendly face in days and he really just misses his bed.  _ Why the hell did I agree to take this ridiculous exam? _

_ Because Naruto-sensei believes in me… Except that Naruto-sensei isn’t here right now, but I am, and I wish I wasn’t. _

Still, it hasn’t been  _ all _ bad. They’ve had some pretty good fights (even if they are a pain), and Shikamaru’s strategies haven’t led them astray so far (they’re in a bind because of Ino, go figure).

“Wait, Shikamaru, did you hear that?” Ino’s hand wraps around his wrist and pulls him forward, toward a small clearing, but some indescribable feeling grips him and he twists out of her grip, catching her arm just before she abandons the cover of the trees. “Hey, what-”

“ _ Shut up _ ,” he whispers, pointing to something across the clearing, some great mass writhing near the underbrush. “Is that… a snake?”

Ino rears back from the treeline, pale and less sure of herself than she was before. “That’s a really big snake. We should find a different way.”

“Well, we’re running out of time, and that’s the most direct way to the tower from here. If we go around, we might lose too much time.” He crosses his arms. “But we wouldn’t be stuck in this situation if you hadn’t wanted to take a detour yesterday morning, would we?”

“Oh, get over it! You were just as willing to take a detour as I was when I brought it up. And Choji didn’t complain about it, either!”

_ Fighting isn’t going to help us. _ Shikamaru crouches, letting his eyes slide shut so that he can  _ think _ for a moment, running the scenarios through his mind as they come to him. He’s not sure how much time has passed when he finally meets her gaze again, but Ino has thankfully stayed quiet in the meantime.

“Alright. I think I have a plan, but you’re not going to like it.”

They collect Choji from his resting spot, leading him to the edge of that same clearing, and when Shikamaru kneels, he gives Ino the signal. “Go quickly. I’ll hold this thing still for as long as I can, and I’ll try to meet up with you. Wait until the last minute, and if I don’t show up, you’ll just have to go in without me.”

“If we go in without you, we’ll be disqualified,” Ino remarks, but her voice is a bit thick.

“Then I’ll be there. Just  _ go _ , Ino!”

Shikamaru tries not to focus on it, but he’s vaguely relieved that Choji doesn’t quite grasp the situation before Ino pulls him across the clearing. He probably couldn’t have forced Choji to go on without him if he’d realized what was going on sooner.

As a matter of fact, the bigger the creature is, the more shadow Shikamaru has to work with. Unfortunately, the bigger the creature, the stronger. And Shikamaru isn’t exactly well-rested.

Luckily, the giant snake doesn’t go tearing after Ino and Choji when Shikamaru’s jutsu wears off (it had certainly tried while they were still within its range, though). Instead, it heads off in a completely different direction--it’s possible that the snake is somebody’s summons, though Shikamaru doesn’t want to know what kind of person would make a contract with a snake that big, and he hopes to Kami he never meets that person.

_ Now, to catch up with my teammates. _

But Shikamaru doesn’t make it very far; he’s only a few steps into the clearing when a body hits the ground a few feet away. He almost ignores it, but for the fact that the body belongs to none other than Sakura, and she looks… kind of bad.

“What the hell?”

She meets his gaze for a moment, pushing herself to her feet. “Shikamaru,” she breathes, relieved that he’s a friendly face instead of a hostile one. “You need to get out of here. There’s a--a man, or maybe a woman, it’s hard to tell, but she--he’s not a genin and he’s attacking us. You should get back to your team.” With that, Sakura disappears back into the woods, and Shikamaru…

Well, he’s torn. On the one hand, Team 7 are his friends. But, one the other hand, Shikamaru’s chakra reserves are completely depleted, and jumping into another fight right away will probably just get him killed, or he’ll become a liability to them.

But he can’t just  _ leave _ , right? Not if Sakura and Sasuke and the new genin are really in trouble.

The snake he’d been trapping belongs to the person that’s attacking them, after all, so he already has one foot in the situation.

Shikamaru follows after her, tracking her movements into another clearing only a handful of meters away, and stills at what he discovers.

Sasuke’s eyes have changed, his normally dark irises now the bright crimson of the Sharingan dojutsu. He’s facing off with an androgynous figure sporting green-tinged skin and long hair, a sword grasped in their hand.

Shikamaru’s just about to step out into this new clearing when the person wielding the sword lets out a wave of killing intent that knocks him to his knees--he’s not the only one affected, but from what he can tell, the others must already be acquainted with this feeling, because they aren’t rendered immobile like he is.

Their additional teammate, Sai, has a large scroll rolled out in front of him, a paintbrush in hand. Sasuke is taking the brunt of the battle in his own hands, moving faster than Shikamaru has ever seen him, and Sakura is proving backup for both of them, a kunai in one hand and a fierce look on her face.

Shikamaru doesn’t feel like he belongs.

And, well, even if his mind is sharp, he’s no help to them, rendered useless as he is under the onslaught of KI.

_ I hope help is coming. _

Something lands in the branches above his head, but Shikamaru can’t move to investigate the new arrival. Is this how others feel when they’re trapped in his  _ kagemane _ ? Do his victims ever feel this frightened and useless?

The person above him curses, pulling him out of his thoughts, and smoke (mist?) begins to fill the clearing. Something or someone drops down beside him.

“Hey, kid. Can you move?”

A small dog in a blue vest, wearing Konoha’s  _ hitai-ate _ , puts his front paws on Shikamaru’s knee.

“Okay,” he continues when Shikamaru doesn’t answer. “My name is Pakkun. My boss is gonna take over for the kids. That shinobi is a S-rank missing ninja. His name is Orochimaru, and he’s one of the legendary sannin taught by Sandaime-sama. It’s a wonder that Team 7 is even still functioning.”

Pakkun then opens his mouth and bites down hard on Shikamaru’s forearm--Shikamaru flinches, but with the pain comes a renewed freedom of movement, which means that Pakkun wasn’t attacking him.

Shikamaru shoves himself to his feet and into the clearing, keeping low to search for the rest of his agemates. He can hear the enemy ninja taunting Pakkun’s boss, realizing too late that the dog’s vest has Hatake Kakashi’s name on the back.

_ I hope he’s strong enough to fight that man. _

Sakura kneels beside an unconscious Sai, glancing up briefly when Shikamaru and Pakkun reach them. “I thought I told you to go,” she murmurs, voice shaky. She must be exhausted. Sasuke stands between his teammates and the place where Kakashi-sensei is squaring off against the sannin.

“I couldn’t just leave, but--”

“Kids,” Pakkun interrupts urgently, focusing their attention on himself, “medical ninja should be on their way, but it might be best to get away from the area.”

“Pakkun! What about Kakashi-sensei? Is Naruto-sensei coming?”

The dog nods. “He’s on his way, but he was patrolling the outer wall when he sensed something was wrong, so we came ahead.”

Now, Shikamaru may be exhausted, and his chakra may be depleted, but he’s pretty sure he has enough energy to get himself to the tower… It’s just that, honestly, he can’t bring himself to leave them behind. He’d almost rather give them a head start.

“You guys should start making your way toward the tower,” he finally murmurs, turning to study the fight now that the mist is clearing. For now, it seems that Kakashi-sensei is holding his own, but that Orochimaru doesn’t even look tired yet, and he’s been fighting for some time already.

_ Please hold on until Naruto-sensei gets here. _

/

Kakashi knows something’s wrong when his husband appears before him at his station. The clone tells him that he needs to head toward Training Ground 44 immediately, insisting that the kids are in trouble despite the fact that he knows Naruto is at the outer edge of the village for patrol.

How can he know? Is there some special ability that being a jinchuriki gives him? Is he sending Kakashi in there on a hunch? Their students are taking the exams, so any interference is prohibited, but maybe this isn’t the kind of danger that’s typical for the Chunin Exams?

Still, if Naruto says that they’re in danger, Kakashi’s going to take his word for it. Perhaps another village decided to make a move against Konoha, and their genin have been caught in the middle of it. It could be any number of things.

Unfortunately, Kakashi discovers, it’s less simple than their genin being caught in the cross-hairs. It seems that Orochimaru has singled out Team 7 as bait.

“Where’s the little Kitsune, Copy Ninja?” He grins, his long tongue unfurling to taste the edge of his sword, red with blood. Kakashi ignores the pit in his belly and the scratch on his cheek. “He’s such a secret to anybody outside of your village, you know. You interrupted me before I could truly learn anything fascinating about him.”

“It’s too late,” Kakashi points out. He hopes it isn't a bluff. “He’s not eleven years old anymore. You missed your chance.”

“I don’t know about that,” Orochimaru counters. “I was able to run a  _ few _ tests on the boy back then.”

_ Then it’s as we feared. We have no idea what Orochimaru has on Naruto, except that he doesn't know his identity. _

Kakashi tries to drag the fight out as long as possible, but it’s not exactly  _ easy _ to beat one of the sannin, especially one who’s constantly improving in his drive for perfection. His chakra drains quickly, and as his energy levels plummet, so does his speed. It takes one moment, one second where he’s not fast enough, and Kakashi feels a punch to his gut that knocks the wind right out of his lungs.

Only, when he’s had a moment to breathe, Kakashi realizes that it’s not a punch at all. In fact, he can’t quite fill his lungs properly, and a quick glance down at his abdomen tells him that instead of being hit, one of his lungs has been impaled.

And it’s not his ears ringing, like he’d first assumed, but his  _ students, why are they still here _ , crying out for him.

Orochimaru sneers, pulling his sword out of Kakashi’s flesh with a sickening squelch.

The edges of Kakashi’s vision grow blurry, his knees hitting the soft forest floor. And just when he’s sure he’s going to fall unconscious, a familiar figure lands in the clearing, a figure entrenched in golden flames, a glowing cloak wrapped around his shoulders, clean black lines etched into the fabric.

_ Naruto? _

But it can’t be, right? He doesn’t remember ever seeing his husband glowing before. He’s never heard of any other jinchuriki glowing before.

His breath catches in his throat, already thick with blood, and his lung contracts around the fluid in it. The discomfort and pain make it hard to focus on anything but his own body, but he tries, he  _ tries- _

Because he doesn't know if his kids are okay, if _Naruto_ is okay.

And then the images before his eyes become even more absurd--the glowing figure sprouts extra arms out of his back, but they’re arms made of chakra that move faster than Kakashi’s eyes can track.

It’s the last thing he sees before he succumbs to the darkness.

_ If I die here, Naruto is going to kill me. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Chunin Exams, cont'd. Kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my loves! It is 2:19 am E.S.T., and I am _very tired_. 
> 
> I was writing this chapter, and it kept getting longer. And longer... And _longer_ ,,,
> 
> But I am so happy to say that there is only one chapter left for sunlight! Well... I'm also a little sad. And a little relieved. But mostly, I'm happy, because this piece of fanfiction means so, so much to me. And I'm so thankful to everybody who is and has been following along.

It’s the steady _drip drip_ of an IV that Kakashi wakes to.

An IV means that Kakashi’s in the hospital, and being in the hospital signifies that he’s injured. _How badly did I get hurt? Naruto’s not going to be--_

_Where is Naruto?_

Color him clingy, but Kakashi’s not used to waking up in the hospital without his husband at his side. It might be a bit ridiculous of him, he was just fine when Naruto was gone, but right now, he can’t help feeling like there’s something _wrong-_

Which brings him back to why he’s in the hospital in the first place. He remembers waking up this morning ( _is it still the same day?_ ), remembers Naruto kissing him goodbye on his way out the door for patrol duty, remembers summoning the hounds to check in with them…

 _And Naruto sent a clone to me_.

What did the clone say? He knows he was in the middle of his own duties, and Naruto’s clone said it was urgent… Was it about the exams? Had something happened during the exams, were their kids--

_They were being attacked, he said they were in danger._

Naruto had insisted that they were in danger and sent Kakashi ahead of him because Kakashi was closer, and probably because he didn’t want to leave Kakashi out of the loop. So he had gone into the forest of death to intervene only to discover that their genin were being attacked by-

_Orochimaru, that’s right._

Orochimaru, who was using their kids as bait to lure Kitsune into a trap.

_A trap that we sprung by rushing in there._

Not that it could be helped. Obito had been on the opposite end of the village, there’s no way he would have heard about it until after the fact, which means…

_Focus. What happened next?_

Next, Kakashi had been stabbed, only… he hadn’t known it at first, and it wasn’t until he heard the genin screaming that he realized. He’d been on the verge of passing out when help arrived, but-

“Help” had been… a glowing, flaming, four armed man? Is that even possible? Had it been some sort of pain-induced fever dream? Had he simply witnessed a fancy fire-style jutsu?

No. If he had, he’d know how to do it considering Obito’s eye had recorded it for him. Whatever he saw, real or imaginary, it was no ordinary jutsu. Not even a kekkei genkai.

Besides, take away the glowing and the flames and the spare arms, and it kind of… looked like Naruto. Could it have really been Kakashi’s husband underneath all of that? Does Naruto honestly have an ability like that? And if he does, why has he kept it such a secret--a secret from his parents, from _Kakashi_?

Is this why he stayed away for as long as he did? Why he kept away from the village for months at a time, even after he trained with Jiraiya and then returned, even after he removed his mask?

Is this the part of himself that he keeps contained, the part of himself that he’s so careful to control for fear of hurting everyone around him?

Can it really be true that Naruto is barely even human?

 _Stop it, Kakashi_ , he thinks to himself, lifting one aching arm over his eyes. _It’s unfair to Naruto to assume anything right now, especially because-_

Because if that _was_ his husband, how did the fight pan out after Kakashi passed out? Did Naruto, in all of his glowing, fiery glory, defeat the snake sannin? Or did Orochimaru have something up his sleeve (down his throat?) that would render Naruto’s abilities useless long enough for that man to capture him?

Naruto’s clearly not with Kakashi right now. Is he injured, too? Is he even in the village? Is the fight even over, yet?

What about their genin? Had they made it to the tower? Had the medical ninja intercepted them to check them over?

_I should have stayed unconscious._

Kakashi doesn’t know how long he talks himself in circles before his eyelids grow heavy again; he’s only able to fight off the exhaustion for a few more moments, hoping somebody familiar will walk through the door in that time.

But nobody comes.

/

“Well, kid, nothing’s broken. Just a few scrapes and bruises that will heal on their own. Rest up while you can.” The healer stands, turning away now that he knows Sasuke’s alright. A few feet away, Sakura sits with another healer, the woman’s hands alight with green healing chakra. Unfortunately, Sakura’s injuries are a little more extensive than Sasuke’s, but at least she has more energy than he and Sai do.

Speaking of Sai, the poor guy’s still unconscious.

“--still alive?” her voice carries over to him during a fleeting moment where he’s able to focus.

He’s worried, too. Kakashi-sensei had taken too long to realize he’d been stabbed during his fight, and the iryo-nin had shown up and taken him away around the same time medics found him and his teammates. And Shikamaru.

So they didn’t get to see what happened with either of their sensei.

Naruto-nii had arrived just as Kakashi-sensei hit the ground, but his outfit was different than anything Sasuke’s ever seen before, and…

He’d been glowing? Flaming?

He hadn’t looked totally human, and… Well, Sasuke’s not sure, but he thinks Naruto-nii’s eye might have been… red.

_Do I even know him at all?_

It wasn’t red like the sharingan, either, but a deep, blood red, like the stories of the demon that Shisui told him about once when he was a little kid. He’d said it was a fox demon that stood taller than the tallest building in Konoha, it’s blood red eyes housing pupils like slits.

 _Could it be… Could Naruto-nii_ be _the fox demon?_

But that’s absurd, isn’t it? Naruto isn’t a demon. He’s not even all that mean when he’s _trying_ to be, right?

“Sasuke?”

He shakes himself out of his thoughts, dumbfounded to find that his brother’s crouching right in front of him and Sasuke hadn’t even noticed.

“Nii-san…”

Itachi catches him when he shoves himself out of his seat and into his brother’s arms. Sasuke can’t help thinking that nothing is ever going to be the same. _I don’t want to lose everything that I’ve gained this year._

“I don’t understand.”

Itachi hums, resting his chin on the top of Sasuke’s head. “What don’t you understand?”

“Was that really Naruto-sensei?” _Can he really turn into something like that?_

A long moment passes while his brother thinks. “Naruto-senpai fought and defeated Orochimaru. Right now, the man who attacked you and your teammates is being taken to T&I for questioning, and Kakashi-senpai was taken to the hospital. He’s in critical condition, but I’m sure that Naruto-senpai will see him as soon as he can. He probably wants to check on you four, as well, but unfortunately, he’s being interrogated about the situation, too.” Itachi runs a hand through Sasuke’s hair, breathing out a sigh as he pulls away. “But I’m sure everything will work out, Sasuke. Now, the Hokage wants to talk to you and your teammates. Oh, and take Shikamaru with you, as well. Head to the end of that hallway behind us.”

Sasuke glances toward the hallway his brother indicates, wondering what their Hokage will have to say.

_Are we in trouble? We didn’t get to finish the exam._

He turns away from Itachi’s supportive smile, making his way to Sakura’s side. “We’ve been summoned by the Hokage.”

She frowns up at him as the healer walks away.

/

Sakura has seen one of her teachers gravely injured before, but watching it happen… is unnerving. There’s nothing graceful about getting stabbed in the lung, apparently.

_And Sai’s hurt, and Shikamaru’s barely functioning, and what if Sasuke has another crisis? What if he doesn’t trust Naruto-sensei anymore?_

She glances to her right, but Sasuke’s face is blank even as he throws himself into Itachi’s arms. _Is he going to be okay?_

“Excuse me,” she says softly, and the medical ninja treating her broken wrist looks up at her. “I was wondering if you know anything about Kakashi-sensei. Is he still alive?”

“Ah.” The woman smiles a little. “I heard that he’s stable enough to be left alone for a few hours at a time.” Her smile turns a little more genuine, a little less forced. “You should focus on your own wounds, that way your sensei doesn’t have to worry about you and will worry about himself.”

_But Kakashi-sensei won’t willingly rest until he knows that we’re alright._

Eventually, Sasuke leaves his brother and stops at her side, just as her healer is getting up to leave after wrapping her wrist and looking over the rest of her wounds.

“We’ve been summoned by the Hokage.”

_Hokage-sama wants to talk to us?_

The two of them wake Shikamaru up after finding him slouched over in one corner of the small waiting room they were taken to when they arrived. After he’s filled in, they make their way to the room that Sasuke’s brother had indicated, each of them lost in their own heads. Sakura’s sure that Shikamaru’s worried about his teammates, and she doubts it helps that he doesn’t even know if they’ve made it to the tower, yet (she really hopes that they have).

And Sasuke, of course, is probably trying to understand the situation in its entirety. His feelings toward Naruto-sensei have been back and forth from the beginning, and Sakura can only hope that what they witnessed won’t harm all the progress they’ve made in their relationship.

Naruto's too good of a man for Sasuke to push aside due to his… well, whatever they witnessed. She’s still not sure exactly what happened.

_He was really upset, though. Maybe he thought Kakashi-sensei was going to die, or that he was too late._

Sakura sighs, holding her injured arm to her chest as the three of them cross the threshold.

_Please be okay, both of you._

/

Yondaime-sama smiles tiredly at Shikamaru and the others when they enter the room where he and Shikamaru’s father are seated. His hat is abandoned on the table and there are dark circles under his eyes, a sure sign that he hasn’t gotten enough rest this week.

“You were very brave today,” he says kindly. “How are each of you coping with what happened?”

Shikamaru glances to either side, but neither Sasuke or Sakura speaks up, so he steps forward. “Hokage-sama, is Naruto-sensei a jinchuriki?”

The other two turn to him, but he won’t be surprised if they don’t know what a jinchuriki is--not many people do. But Naruto isn’t a normal person, he’s not even a normal _shinobi_ , and it seems like the most viable explanation.

“Shikamaru,” his father begins, but the Hokage chuckles.

“I see that your intelligence has passed on to your son, Shikaku. Yes, my son is the jinchuriki of our village. Years ago, on the night he disappeared, the beast escaped from its previous container, and the person who took my son away sealed the creature into him. As much as I don’t like it, it saved the village from destruction.”

“Um, excuse me? What is... a jinchuriki?” Sakura moves forward, too, cradling one of her arms against her chest.

Shikamaru’s dad crosses his arms, looking resigned. “Jinchuriki are people who have chakra beasts sealed into them. There are nine known tailed chakra beasts in the world, and Naruto-kun is the jailer for the Nine-Tails, the strongest of the tailed beasts. What you witnessed today is what he explained is Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. I was told that he trained on an island with the jinchuriki of Kumogakure to perfect this ability.”

“My son has done what no other jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails has done before,” Yondaime-sama continues. “From what I understand, after a rather heartbreaking event outside of the village, he and his tailed beast became friends, and the Nine-Tails works _with_ him instead of against him. You should know that Naruto is not a danger to you or anybody else unless they pose a threat to this village and the people in it.”

“Don’t worry, Hokage-sama,” Shikamaru assures. “Naruto-sensei is somebody that I myself have always looked up to, that’s not going to change now. Is he okay?”

A nod. “He’s fine.”

A quiet moment passes before Sasuke joins Sakura and Shikamaru in line. “So, what happens now, Hokage-sama? We didn’t make it back to the tower on our own.”

“Ah, of course. However, the coordinators, clan heads, and village leaders have spoken, and we’ve determined that under the circumstances, each of you showed exceptional abilities in holding your own against an S-rank shinobi, and therefore, none of you will be disqualified. Shikamaru, you’ll return to your teammates, who’ve been alerted to your situation, and once Sai regains consciousness, he’ll reconvene with his teammates to wait for the next phase.” The Hokage smiles at them again, waving a hand toward the door, but Shikamaru stays rooted to the spot until the others are out of earshot.

“Hokage-sama, I don’t think I should be given another chance. I followed Sakura because I wanted to help when she said there was trouble, but I wasn’t able to do anything at all.”

Naruto’s father studies him for a long time, his face almost impassive. “Shikamaru,” he says softly, “is it true that you stayed behind to give your teammates a better chance of making it to the tower?”

_He knows about that?_

“Hai.” Shikamaru straightens his spine, a little surprised.

“And is it true that you used the last of your available chakra to contain the beast blocking their path?”

“H-hai.”

“But you still joined Team Seven in the event that you _might_ be able to help them?”

“Yes, Hokage-sama.”

The man hums. Shikamaru’s father crosses his arms.

“As your Hokage, I want to thank you for your bravery today, Shikamaru. You deserve to stay in the exams just as much as the others do despite not making it here with your teammates. From what they told me, you had every intention of meeting up with them before the end of the fifth day, so I don’t think for a moment that you were going to give up. There’s no reason you should give up _now_ , is there?”

_So, Naruto-sensei’s like his old man, too._

“Hai, Hokage-sama.” Shikamaru bows his head. “Thank you.”

_I guess I have to finish these exams, even if it is a pain._

_Oh well. It’s not a hand-out if I deserve it._

_Thank you, Hokage-sama._

/

By the time Inoichi is finished interviewing Naruto about the fight (and about the last several years of his life), the sun is beginning to set over the horizon and Naruto has been away from his injured husband for far longer than he’s comfortable with. His heart had done quite a skip-step when he sensed Kakashi’s chakra flickering, and it hadn’t helped that he was close enough to hear their genin’s shouts of disbelief, was able to hear how their voices were thick with fear and grief and exhaustion.

He doesn’t ever remember feeling such blatant _anger_ before. All he could think was _how dare you. How dare you hurt my family._

Of course, the medics had been hot on his tail, so they evacuated the kids and Kakashi while Naruto dealt with the threat, but then others had shown up to help and stumbled across Naruto having a bit of tantrum. The truth is, Orochimaru had been done for the minute Naruto reached the clearing, and at this point, a piece of himself that was thirsty for revenge was at the forefront. It had taken a moment for him to calm down and turn the sannin over to Interrogation.

Which is why Inoichi had felt the need to interview Naruto, as well. To check his mental state. Which is understandable.

_But it took so long, what if something happened with Kakashi and they just didn’t want to tell me because they thought I would go on a rampage?_

_This is why I didn’t want anybody to know._

It’s worth it, though. Revealing his secret, that is. If he hadn’t, would Kakashi even be alive right now? Would their genin be alright?

Naruto skids to a stop, his trek toward the hospital interrupted by a pair of dark eyes. “Itachi,” he hears his own voice greet, hoarse and crackling.

His friend watches him for a moment, unreadable, and then glides forward, graceful as ever, to bring Naruto into a hug. “You need to calm down,” he murmurs, one hand on the back of his neck. “Kakashi-senpai is still stable, and the genin are all okay, but you’re no help to anybody if you run yourself into the ground.”

And Naruto can only bury his face in Itachi’s neck and choke on all the emotions he’s been ignoring for the last several hours, because surely this is all his fault? Why had he forgotten about Orochimaru? If he hadn’t, the man could have been dealt with before he ever became a jounin sensei, before his mission to Wave and his marriage and all of it!

_This happened because of me._

But Itachi is a pillar of strength in a weak moment, and Naruto doesn’t know how to thank him, can only hold on a little tighter, lean on him a bit longer. “Living is hard,” he admits brokenly. He wonders if he can ever repay Itachi, Shisui, all the people who helped him when he didn’t know how to free himself from the chains he’d brought upon himself.

“It’s worth it, though, don’t you think? All the people who love you and that you love, they make it worthwhile.” Itachi eases away, his own eyes sparkling in the dimming light. “You have a husband to heal, right?”

“Ah.” Naruto stops before he makes it far, turning to Itachi once again. “You both know that I love you, right?”

And Itachi smiles, pressing a hand to his heart. “We love you, too.”

Naruto feels a little lighter by the time he slips through the window to Kakashi’s recovery room, but seeing his lover looking so pale and ill brings up some uncomfortable memories of another night spent in this hospital when Kakashi was hurt and Naruto could only blame himself.

Of course, he’d only been three at the time, but who cares about the details?

He sighs, leaning over to press both hands over Kakashi’s chest, already lit with healing chakra. Like most aspects of his abilities, his kekkei genkai is pretty unexplainable. His mother doesn’t know where he got it, neither does his father. He’s done research here and there, but so far, he hasn’t read anything conclusive.

He’ll take the miracle, though, if it means saving the one he loves tonight. Along with every other night he has healed--or will heal--Kakashi of fatal wounds.

_I would heal the kids if that didn’t mean giving them an advantage in the exams._

Naruto feels well and truly drained by the time Kakashi’s lung is as good as new. A part of him wants to wake his husband, to let him know that he’s not alone and that everything is okay, but Naruto loves watching him sleep, and could probably use some shut eye for himself, too.

_We should be able to join the kids for the preliminaries tomorrow._

Naruto sags into the chair beside the bed and rests his cheek against his hand, letting himself doze while he has the time.

( _“Do my eyes deceive me?” The sannin leans forward, the point of his bloody sword pressing into the dirt. “The Kitsune is Yondaime Hokage’s little son?” He laughs, delighted. “Oh, but what is this mysterious power of yours? It can’t be… is this the power of a jinchuriki? Can you be your mother’s successor, little Kitsune?”_

_Naruto hates him, and Kurama feeds on that feeling despite being on good terms with Naruto. It’s so rare for Naruto to feel such a deep disgust that his partner relishes in the darkness for a moment._

**_It’s too bad he’s such a serpent-lover. If he didn’t smell like a snake, I’d want to eat him._ **

Shut up, Kurama.

**_Be careful, kit. This one has had it out for you for quite some time._ **

_Naruto doesn’t care how long this guy has wanted to collect him, he only cares that Kakashi is on his way to the hospital with a fatal wound, and if this fight takes too long, Naruto may not reach him in time to save him._

It’s time to kick some ass, Kurama.

**_Very well. Let’s do it._ **

_Naruto grins, unleashing all of his fury in a move that downs several of the nearest trees. He’ll probably regret it later, but for now, he wants vengeance._

_“You’re going to pay for what you’ve done!”_ )

“Naruto-chan~, if you sleep any longer, we’re going to miss the preliminary fights. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to see how the kids do.”

Naruto hums, adjusting his arms under his head. “Five more minutes, Kashi?”

A sigh above him, one warm hand ruffling his hair. “I suppose I can give you five more minutes, but I think I deserve some sort of explanation on the way to the tower, don’t I?”

 _Explanation?_ Confused, Naruto lets his eye open just a fraction, taking in his surroundings. He’s obviously not in bed--he’s not even at home. And if he’s not at home, where…

_The hospital?_

Why are they at the hospital?

**Idiot child, don’t you remember using me to pummel that snake sannin?**

Naruto’s spine goes ramrod straight of its own accord, letting out an uncomfortable popping sound at the abrupt movement. _Kakashi had been hurt._

But his husband smiles at him under his mask, Obito’s eye hidden beneath his headband. “Good morning.”

_Forget that!_

He doesn’t realize he’s thrown himself into Kakashi’s arms until his lover drops a kiss against his temple. “I’m alright, it’s alright.”

But it doesn’t feel alright, because none of this would have happened if Naruto had simply remembered that Orochimaru was still a threat. “It’s my fault, Kakashi, he was after _me_.”

Kakashi’s arms tighten their hold on him. “Actually… We’ve been tracking his movements for years. We didn’t think he’d attack during the exams, or we would have told you he was a threat.”

_What?_

“So really, even though he’s been stalking you, it’s our fault for not telling you that he was a problem. Unfortunately, we believed we could deal with him without getting you involved. Apparently, we were wrong.”

 _Hold on a minute…_ “Who’s ‘we’?” He presses his forehead against his husband’s collarbone, breathing him in while processing this new bout of information.

“Well Obito and myself. And Sensei, of course.” He goes on to explain that Obito has been following Orochimaru’s movements ever since he abducted Naruto nine years ago, and how Kakashi got involved in the mission after Naruto returned from his trip with Jiraiya, before he’d known that Kitsune and Naruto were the same person, because ‘there was just something about you that reminded me of…, well you’.

But after explaining all of that, Kakashi insists that they really will miss the preliminary fights if they don’t leave soon, which spurs Naruto out of his arms so that he can finish getting dressed.

Naruto’s anxiety returns, though, when he remembers that they get to be with their students during the preliminary fights. Is Sasuke going to start hating him again, after seeing what he saw? After being attacked because of Naruto?

And Sakura, will she be afraid of him now? Will Sai, will Shikamaru, now that they’ve seen what he can become?

Surely Shikamaru has figured out his secret. Is he coping okay with everything he’s learned? Does he regret letting Naruto talk him into taking the exams?

Will his genin ask him to step down as their sensei? Will they ask him to stay away?

_Will I lose them now?_

“Naruto?” Kakashi’s hands settle on either side of his neck, one thumb tipping Naruto’s chin until their eyes meet. “What is it?”

He feels silly, being so scared to face the children now, but Kakashi has never judged him. He breathes in, leaning into Kakashi’s hands. “Do you think they’re afraid of me now?” He doesn’t know what he’ll do if they are, doesn’t know how he can possibly make amends for traumatizing them the way he probably has.

His husband pulls him closer, pressing their foreheads together. “Naruto,” he murmurs. “They’ll understand. How can they fear you when you did what you did to protect them--protect _me_? I don’t fully understand what happened, either, but I’m not afraid of you. I never have been.”

Naruto inches closer, kissing masked lips, before pulling away. “I’ll explain, but we’re going to be late, right?” He’s still anxious and scared, but at least he has Kakashi (and his parents, Obito, Itachi and Shisui, Rin, Gai, Jiraiya, etc.).

/

Kakashi lets Naruto shunshin them to the tower. His wound may be healed, courtesy of his loving husband, but he’s still a bit tired and it’s nice to have somebody to lean on.

It had been… relieving to wake up and find Naruto passed out next to him; to move freely, tired but no longer injured, and brush Naruto’s hair out of his face; to note that his lover was no longer glowing or on fire or both.

“So, were you actually glowing, or did I imagine that?”

The question does what he intends and makes his husband smile, some of the worry leaving his face. “Uh, that was real. For the other jinchuriki, they can transform into their tailed beast, but with Kurama, the chakra cloak is a bit different, though I’m not sure why. It works for me, though. I don’t know if I’d like being four-legged.” They appear in a large chamber with the other jounin-sensei just before the next proctor begins his speech.

“Oh good,” Hayate notes. “For a minute, I thought you weren’t coming.” He turns to the students, beginning his speech, but Kakashi locates his genin to check on them, surprised to find their eyes all locked on Naruto and him instead of their proctor.

There’s another boy whose eyes are fixated on them, too. Or, more specifically, on Naruto alone. He’s smaller than average, with red hair and such dark circles around his eyes that Kakashi wonders if he ever sleeps. On his forehead, he bears the kanji for ‘love’.

“That boy is a jinchuriki,” Naruto murmurs. “I can sense the One-Tail in him. I wonder if I can talk to him after the preliminaries are over.”

_It’s unusual for villages to send their jinchuriki outside their walls. This one being the exception because Naruto was on his own._

Like that, the preliminary duels begin. Kakashi follows Naruto to Hayate’s side while he explains what he learned, but ultimately, unless something really awful happens, they agree there’s no reason to stop the genin from dueling.

On the upper level, their genin rush to their sides. Sakura and Sasuke pull them both into their arms, and even Sai inches close enough for Kakashi to bring him into the group hug.

Sakura seems to be attempting to explain what happened after they were brought to the tower, but in between her sobs and little gasps of air, Kakashi has a hard time making out what she’s saying. Sasuke is quiet, but his hold is just as tight.

Kakashi pretends he’s unaffected, but he doesn't think they believe it.

“RIVAL! IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU MOVING ABOUT!”

He groans, leaning all of his weight on the kids and Naruto, but a part of him really is glad to have a friend like Gai. “I don’t know what you mean, the children are holding me up.”

“ _Sensei_! You’re heavy!”

He gasps, falsely affronted. “How rude!” But he readjusts so that he’s the one holding them up, turning to face Gai. “Thank you,” he adds to his friend. “I’m only here because my husband loves me. Otherwise, I’d be having a very boring day in the hospital.”

The genin groan, squished together as they dangle from his arms. “ _Sensei!_ ”

Gai nods, understanding the things Kakashi doesn’t say, before turning to Naruto. “And Of Course, I Must Thank You For Taking Care Of My Rival!” His expression is softer than his words, though, and Naruto’s spirits lift just a little more. Kakashi lets the kids down while Gai distracts his husband.

“Ducklings, how are we feeling?”

They share a look with each other before Sasuke steps forward. “We’re glad you’re okay, Kakashi-sensei. Hokage-sama told us you would be, but it’s not the same as really knowing.”

“And we’re just relieved Naruto-sensei didn’t get hurt, too, or you’d _both_ be in the hospital!” Sakura adds, glancing over at him. “But is he… _okay_?”

Kakashi eye-smiles for them. “He’s going to be. He was a little worried that he scared you guys, though.”

“What’s there to be afraid of?”

He turns to see Shikamaru standing a few feet away, his teammates and Asuma leaning against the railing a bit further down.

“Naruto-sensei would never hurt us, so there’s no reason for us to be afraid of him. Besides, there aren’t a lot of people who can defeat a sannin easily. From what I understand, Naruto-sensei trained with Jiraiya-sama, so he had two distinct advantages in facing Orochimaru.” He sounds confident, but his hands fidget in his pockets. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re okay, Kakashi-sensei.”

_This kid… really isn’t like any other._

“Thank you, Shikamaru.”

 _Yeah_ , he thinks. _They’re going to be just fine._

Suddenly, he feels Naruto pressed against his side, also crouching to be eye-level with the genin. “You guys ready for this?” he asks, cheery despite his anxiety.

“Hai!” each of them agrees with a firm nod. Shikamaru inches closer.

“Naruto-sensei,” he says, “thank you for saving us.”

His husband smiles, reaching out to squeeze Shikamaru’s shoulder. “Anytime, Shikamaru.” He glances at Sasuke. “Just say the word.” (Sasuke smiles at this, and Kakashi wonders why. It must be something significant.)

When the kids are finally content, he and Naruto step back, Naruto with an arm around Kakashi’s waist. He drapes his own arm over his lover’s shoulders, pressing a kiss to his temple.

“Thank you for saving me.” He whispers the words, knowing that Naruto will hear them. Kakashi figures they have all the time in the world for explanations and demonstrations, and he really doesn’t care about getting answers as long as he can hold Naruto like this. As long as Naruto will hold him like this.

_Hopefully, Obito isn’t guilt-tripping himself… That’s just something we’ll have to worry about after the preliminaries are through. We’ll have an entire month to work with the kids on their strengths, so it shouldn’t be too much trouble to sit down and talk some stuff through with him._

“Naruto, is there anything else you can do that you haven’t mentioned?”

“Well…” He frowns. “Did I mention I met the Sage of Six Paths during my fight with Madara?”

_The… Sage of Six Paths?_

“Sorry?”

“Oh, he’s the reason we have tailed beasts in the first place. Apparently, I’m the reincarnation of one of his sons. Anyway, he passed on his abilities to me, so on top of sage mode and Kurama mode, I’m also a Six Paths Sage… Well, and I can use Kurama mode _with_ Sage mode… Hey, hold on a second. I wonder if...” He leans up, pressing a kiss to Kakashi’s cheek before forming the hand signs that carry him away in a small burst of smoke.

Naruto is only gone for a few minutes, though. He returns shortly after he leaves, the match going on below having barely escalated since he left.

His grin is much brighter than it was before, bright and warm and one of the multitudes of things Kakashi loves about him. “I’m amazing~,” he sings softly, tucking himself under Kakashi’s arm. If Kakashi didn’t know any better, he’d even go so far as to say Naruto is smug about something with the way his eyes are sparkling.

_Wait a minute… Eyes? As in plural?_

Kakashi’s hands move of their own accord, cupping Naruto’s face so that he can gaze into Naruto’s right eye, studying the scar running through it, an echo of his own injury from so long ago.

“How?”

Naruto beams. “Well, I had forgotten that the Six Paths Sage gave me power until I told you about it, and then I started wondering what that power entails.”

/

Their genin make it through the preliminaries. Even though Sakura’s wrist is broken, and Sai has a minor concussion, the three of them make it into the final round of the exams. Naruto heals their injuries and sends them home to rest up for a couple of days with the promise to kick up their training on Monday.

Despite being tired, Kakashi decides to go with Naruto when he heads toward Shisui and Itachi’s apartment, because _I’m curious to see how this works_.

Shisui lets them in with a smile, even if he does seem a little suspicious. “I assumed you’d be with your genin. How well did they do?”

Kakashi answers, following Naruto into the apartment with an eye smile. “All three of them passed, so we sent them home to recuperate until Monday.”

“And of course we’re happy for them, you know it! It’s just that there’s something I was hoping you’d let me do!” Naruto inches closer to the Uchiha in front of him, almost nose to nose, and resolutely ignores the light dusting of pink on Shisui's cheeks.

"W-what are you...?"

Naruto leans back and lets his eyes fall shut, focusing on his chakra in order to go into Six Paths mode. It's not as easy as slipping into Kyuubi mode, but that's probably because he's had plenty of time to get used to Kurama's chakra. Maybe, the more he uses Six Paths mode, the more he’ll get used to it. Although, he won’t complain if he doesn’t need to use those powers for anything…

He opens his eyes as the chakra settles over him, two gasps echoing in the otherwise quiet living space. Shisui's expression is pure confusion (and maybe a little awe).

"Don't move," Naruto tells him before placing his hand over his friend's eye. As he had with himself, he just tries to get a feel for the flow of Shisui's chakra, and then molds it with his Six Paths chakra to rebuild Shisui's ruined eye.

Smiling, he pulls away, letting the Six Paths mode drop. "Okay, Shisui, try to open it."

The Uchiha makes a face, but he does what Naruto tells him, jaw falling open when his eye complies and opens. "How did…? Wait, _your_ eye! Naruto, how-?"

The entire thing makes Naruto feel openly giddy, because he's doing something _good_ for someone he _loves_.

A little more than an hour later, Naruto hunts Obito down--it’s not as hard as one might think, but it’s still rather troublesome since he’s pretty sure Obito’s avoiding them. It’s strange, too, because Kakashi has been unusually silent ever since they left Itachi and Shisui’s apartment.

His emotions don’t seem disturbed, though, but when Naruto asks him if he wants to go home and rest, Kakashi declines, saying _I’m curious about Obito’s eye. It’s in my skull, you see._

Which raises the question, will Obito’s eye simply transfer places, seeing as it’s still a working organ? Or will he technically have three eyes?

_Man, I didn't think about that part. Will I have to give Kakashi a new eye? Will he be upset if he loses Obito’s eye?_

_What a pain…_

_Oh well, it’s not like I can stop now! Besides, Obito’s eye really drains Kakashi’s chakra. It might be nice if he’s freed from it._

/

It’s late by the time they make it home.

It’s late, and Kakashi’s tired, but he’s learned a lot in the last several hours. Particularly about his husband, his husband’s abilities, and his husband’s oversized heart. Sure, Kakashi had known that at one point, Uchiha Shisui had briefly attempted courting Kitsune (that is, until he’d learned that Kitsune was Naruto, because he’d known that Naruto was already engaged), but he hadn’t realized that Shisui still harbors feelings for his husband.

And it hadn’t ever occurred to him that Naruto might share those feelings.

In fact, while Shisui had been testing his Sharingan on Naruto, Itachi had come home to witness the new developments, and his expression held such open affection that Kakashi was… well, not quite floored, because he thinks that everybody should love Naruto as much as he does, but perhaps a little frustrated that Naruto hasn’t just _asked_.

To be honest, Kakashi doesn’t mind sharing his husband, not so long as his husband is treated well by the other people he’s involved with. Naruto spent so much time alone, so much time _away_ , Kakashi wants him to know how much he’s loved.

Besides, it isn’t as if Kakashi doesn’t trust both Shisui and Itachi.

_Ah, but how to bring it up? Straightforward? Abrupt? With tact?_

_What if I just end up upsetting him? I don’t want him to think I don’t want him._

It slips out when they’re half asleep, curled around each other underneath the duvet, Naruto’s cold toes tucked against Kakashi’s calves. He simply can’t stop thinking about it, so it’s no wonder that his tired mouth just talks. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Hmm?” His lover nuzzles into Kakashi’s chest, his grip on Kakashi’s shirt nearly slack.

“That you love them,” he clarifies. He tries not to laugh when Naruto’s eyes slide open just a fraction ( _and it’s glorious, being able to look into both of them, all of his heart right there to see in those eyes_ ).

“Ahh, because I didn’t think it was important... It’s not like I’m going to ask you if I can be with them. I wonder… does keeping that a secret make me unfaithful?” He tenses up in Kakashi's arms. “Am I a bad husband, Kakashi?”

 _Damn_.

“Naruto, I’m trying to say that I don’t mind. I love you and I want you to be happy, and I know that those two make you happy.”

Naruto sits up, pulling Kakashi with him. “What are you saying? You aren’t… you aren’t telling me to leave you, right? You wouldn’t do that, _right_?”

_Dammit…_

Kakashi shifts, tugging Naruto into his lap, kissing him for emphasis. “Of course I don’t want you to leave me. I’m simply pointing out that I don’t mind sharing your time.”

Naruto shakes his head, sliding his hands along Kakashi’s bare jaw. “ _I_ mind. Kakashi, _you_ make me happy. Yes, I have feelings for those two, but there is nothing in the world that I want more than to be at your side. I want to spend my time with _you_ , we’ve already missed out on _so much_.” Their noses brush. “Do you understand?”

Kakashi can only bring his husband closer, slotting their mouths and holding on for dear life. Naruto never fails to bring him to the brink of destruction with his words, his devotion, his _faith_.

_I’ll bring it up again in a few years, then._

After all, Kakashi can’t think of anything that will be able to tear them apart (he really hopes he doesn’t jinx himself with that thought).

It’s almost like a happily ever after, if such a thing can exist in the shinobi world. It’s as close as they can get, he thinks.

 _I love you,_ he taps out against Naruto’s spine, heart skipping a beat when Naruto’s legs wind around his waist.

_Yeah. I’d like this for forever, please._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! See you next time!
> 
> Let me know what you're thinking/feeling/hoping to see!!!
> 
> p.s.: Don't fret! If you love sunlight, and you're sad to hear that it's almost at an end (remember, one more chapter!), I have several outtakes planned! There will be a sequel filled with all of the scenes that just didn't fit with the flow of this work, or that I didn't have any place for among all the other multitudes of scenes.
> 
> <3


	30. Epilogue

Naruto tallies the days Kakashi’s been missing on a sheet of paper that he keeps on the corner of his desk in his brand new office as the Godaime Hokage.

_Strange to think it has come to this._

The decision was made one month after Kakashi disappeared. Naruto had thrown himself into work because after the initial search party, he’d been forbidden from leaving the village in case this was an attack to draw him out.

And he understands, he does, which is why he had thrown himself into literally any job that the missions desk would give to him (sometimes, all they had were D-ranks, but Naruto hadn’t cared, because at least it was _something_ , it was better than sitting around at home waiting for the inevitable _we couldn’t find him_ ).

_He deserves so much better, how did this happen? I was gone for two minutes._

_Please be okay, Kakashi._

Naruto sighs, dropping his head against the wooden surface of his desk, and he stays like that even when a subtle flair of chakra makes a new presence known inside the office.

“Welcome back, Deer.”

The ANBU stays silent, waiting, and Naruto pushes himself up, looking into the eyeholes of Deer’s mask. “Report.”

“Our men have uncovered a small faction of nuke-nin at the border between Fire and Rain. There’s a team stationed nearby that await your orders.”

Naruto hums. “Who is their leader?”

“One of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist, our intel leads us to believe that he is called Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist.”

Naruto nods, tapping his fingers against his desk in a non-rhythm.

_Zabuza… I wonder if Haku still trails after him._

Decision made, he pulls his attention away from the large windows taking up the wall behind his desk. “Bring them here.”

And though it’s barely there, Naruto doesn’t miss the tiny, microscopic shift of Deer’s shoulders. “Hokage-sama?”

He lets the moment grow uncomfortable before he gives his subordinate a small smile. “Have them tell Zabuza that Kitsune would like to see him, and if the one named Haku is present, I’d like to speak with him, as well.” After all, by now, Naruto feels justified in thinking of those two as… old friends. “Maybe they’ll have some useful information for me.”

Deer bows, chakra building for an exit.

“And Shikamaru,” Naruto adds softly, “you should take a few days off after you contact them. You’ve been nonstop for weeks.”

“Hai, Hokage-sama.”

_I’m still not used to that._

One of his guards slips out of the woodwork, silent but insistent that Naruto pay him attention. Not that Naruto’s actively ignoring him, of course, but the guards are all adamant that they follow their training, and it only reminds Naruto that his husband had been the exception, choosing to act less formally with his own Sensei-turned-Hokage.

Perhaps because Naruto’s father had always been a sort of surrogate after Kakashi lost Sakumo.

He lets his persistent guard stand there for a moment longer than usual before turning to him. “My adorable student, how can I help you?”

Sasuke scoffs beneath his mask, crossing his arms now that Naruto has made a point to pick on him. “Is it possible to switch rotations with Hawk after today?”

_Switch rotations… He wants a few days off?_

His words to Shikamaru echo in his brain.

“Wait! Sparrow-chan, are you finally going to ask that boy out?” Naruto loves that he can practically see the steam rising off of Sasuke’s heated cheeks. After all, Kakashi’s not here to tease their students, and _somebody_ has to do it, or they’ll get all serious and formal.

 _Oh_. That might explain Sasuke’s newfound determination. After all, the life of a shinobi is often a short one. Maybe, just maybe, he doesn’t want to waste any more precious time. You never know when the person you love is going to vanish into thin air.

“Thank goodness,” Naruto continues. “I don’t know if I could take anymore of your restless pining, you know?”

He wonders if Kakashi’s watching from a place that Naruto is unable to follow, hopes Kakashi’s still breathing somewhere, even if he is unreachable.

“Alright, request granted. After your shift, find Hawk and let him know that he’s going to get vacation time for taking your rotation days, but that he can’t refuse.” Naruto glances at the clock hanging above the chamber doors. “I wonder if I can sneak out of here before my assistant catches me.”

“That would be a ‘no’,” said assistant grouses, pushing the door open with a scowl. His little sister drops a pile of paperwork onto the desk. “These are the written mission reports we received this morning. You can leave early _if_ you read through and sign off on all of them. And _no shortcuts_.” Tsukiko crosses her arms, red hair swinging with her annoyance.

She really is adorable. As a child, she’d been quite a handful, but he really wouldn’t have had it any other way. She wreaked havoc across the village, a breath of fresh air everywhere she went. And she certainly went _everywhere_. He’d found her running the front desk in a brothel once, when she was six. She’s smart as a whip, so he’s sure their accounts were just fine, but he made a deal with her that he’d never tell their parents as long as she never asked what went on in the place.

“Tsukiko-chan, I never take shortcuts!”

One angled eyebrow raises. “Shadow clones.”

_Oh. That._

“Tsukiko-chan, I rarely ever take shortcuts! Besides, the clones are still _me_.”

Sasuke blends back into the woodwork when her hair begins to flare out behind her, and Naruto buries his nose in paperwork, all too familiar with her methods of motivation.

(But he’s proud of her, so proud of her. She really takes after their mom in all the best ways. He couldn’t have asked for a better sister.)

/

Shikamaru sleeps for two days straight. He hadn’t realized it, but Naruto had been correct in telling him that he needs to slow down--he thinks he might have even been running on autopilot there for that last mission.

On the bright side, he gets an entire week off, which has been pretty rare ever since Kakashi-sensei disappeared. And yeah, Shikamaru wants to find him, he’ll do anything in his power to help. But with every passing day, their morale dwindles. They don’t have any evidence to lead them in the right direction, and everyone’s beginning to think there’s nothing to find.

And Shikamaru doesn’t want to give up, he _won’t_ , but he’s no good to anybody if he can barely think straight, which is why he’s relieved to have a mini vacation.

_I’m awake now, though, so I should probably get something to eat._

If he wasn’t so lazy, he’d make himself something. As it is, there’s a few decent restaurants outside of his apartment complex, and maybe Shikamaru wouldn’t mind a little bit of people-watching today.

His plans for lunch start to go down the drain when he steps outside of his apartment and finds Sasuke leaning against the railing outside. “Is it work?”

The other man smiles a bit, shaking his head. “I’m only allowed to stop by if it’s for work?”

“Have you ever come over for anything else?” Shikamaru points out, but he doesn’t object when Sasuke follows him down the steps and onto the street.

“Tch.” His hands disappear into his pockets. “If you asked my brother, he’d tell you I’m just shy.”

“I have, and he did.” Shikamaru hums. “I thought you were on rotation at the office.” It’s unusual for Sasuke to willingly take time off, anyway. Shikamaru’s pretty sure that Sasuke hasn’t taken more than a day off a week since he became a jonin, which is fine as long as he uses his free time wisely. Still a bit bothersome, but nothing Shikamaru thinks he should actually worry about.

Sasuke sighs. “I asked to trade with Sai after you left the other day. I take it the search isn’t going well.”

_No, it really isn’t._

He goes on before Shikamaru formulates a response, voice low. “Something tells me we aren’t going to find him until he’s ready to be found.”

_What is that supposed to mean?_

“I just feel like we’re missing something, and I’m hoping Godaime-sama figures it out soon. We can’t just find somebody that vanishes into thin air.”

Shikamaru silently agrees, pushing open the door to his favorite cafe. Sasuke follows him inside. The whole thing feels oddly… symbolic? _No, that’s the wrong word… Intentional? But that’s not it, either._

They order their food and sit down to eat with a comfortable silence settled over them, and it’s not until Shikamaru starts daydreaming, eyes settled on the people passing by outside that Sasuke speaks up.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about this ever since Kakashi disappeared.” His eyes are intense, looking straight into Shikamaru’s, an unreadable expression on his face.

_Wait a minute, since when have Sasuke and I eaten out together? What’s this about?_

“Shikamaru, I…” He glances away, hands twitching, but his eyes land on Shikamaru’s again after a moment. “I think you’re incredible.”

_...incredible?_

“I- ...what?”

But still, Sasuke eyes him, and Shikamaru doesn’t know why he feels like they’re on the precipice of something, all he knows is that getting direct attention from Sasuke like this is making his face heat, and if Sasuke _sees_ it, then his secret’s _out_.

The man across from him clears his throat. “With everything going on, it occurred to me that I don’t want to drag my feet about this only to realize that I missed my chance.”

_Is it getting warm in here?_

“Shikamaru, I… have feelings for you. And sometimes..., I think you might have feelings for me, too. Is it too much to hope that I might be right about that?”

Several moments seem to slip by while Shikamaru stares at Sasuke, at the man he’s been pining after since he was eight years old (at the time, though, he’d been sure he _didn’t_ like Sasuke all that much), at the man who… just confessed to him.

“I… You have- ...you do?”

And he kind of feels like a pansy for getting emotional, but… Shikamaru never expected this to happen. He figured he’d let his family arrange his marriage, that he’d produce an heir and take over for his father, that he’d devote himself to the clan and never really _love_ somebody like this.

Because he loves Sasuke.

He never imagined he’d be permitted to _say_ so.

“I’m in love with you,” slips off of his tongue, barely more than a whisper. He tries to stifle it, but his hand moves too slow, as if he’s moving through sand; and maybe it’s not the right time to say it, but he already _has_ , he already-

Sasuke stands, pulling Shikamaru out of his chair. He fidgets, watching Sasuke pay their bill, butterflies erupting in his stomach even though he knows how ridiculous that is for a thirty-five year old elite ANBU of Konoha.

They’ve barely made it down the street when Sasuke stops and turns to face Shikamaru again, and the attention is overwhelming because he hasn’t _said_ anything since Shikamaru’s confession, but he can’t bring himself to look away from Sasuke’s dark eyes.

On the bright side, the moment passes and Sasuke surges forward, sliding one arm around Shikamaru’s waist while the other hand traces his jaw. The kiss that follows is both softer and warmer than Shikamaru expects.

“I love you, too,” he murmurs into Shikamaru’s mouth, their foreheads pressed together.

_Oh, but I could get used to this._

/

Shisui’s been trying really hard not to do something drastic. Ever since Kakashi-senpai disappeared, Naruto’s been going through the motions. Like, yes, he goes to work every day, and he still treats everybody the same as he always has, but Shisui can’t just ignore how thin Naruto’s been getting, or the dark circles under his eyes, or the bloody cuticles of his fingers. He can’t ignore the shaking hands or the practically skittish behavior. He can’t ignore the crackle in Naruto’s voice when he asks for Shisui’s mission reports. And he hates it because it’s not his place to demand anything of his Hokage, not even if he’s demanding that his Hokage simply _take care of himself_.

_How are we supposed to help him if he won’t talk to us, if he shuts us out?_

Itachi curls into him under the blankets, tangling their legs and pressing his nose to Shisui’s chest, cold fingers slipping under his shirt. “You’re thinking about Naruto again, aren’t you?”

Naruto is one of the only things Shisui’s been able to think about, actually, Itachi and he both know it, but he can’t _help_ it. Of course he shouldn’t obsess, it’s just that Naruto has been precious to him for almost thirty years, there’s no way he’s just going to stop caring.

It’s not like he can just fall out of love.

“Did you notice he’s even skinnier than he was last week?” he asks his lover, sliding his arms around Itachi’s shoulders. “It’s not healthy, Itachi. He’s- ...we can’t just pretend everything’s okay. We can’t pretend he’s okay, Itachi.”

_We can’t pretend that the stress isn’t killing him._

Itachi doesn't reply right away, so Shisui lets the quiet linger--that is, until it’s interrupted rather abruptly by a knock on their front door. Itachi tenses in his arms, but he’s also the first one to slide out of bed.

_Who could be at the door at this hour? If it was an emergency, we would’ve received a hawk._

With a groan, he follows his husband to the door just as Itachi pulls it open, and-

“I’m sorry it’s so late.”

Shisui has no words, can’t make his mouth move, but Itachi ushers their Hokage into the apartment and firmly shuts the door from the cold, goosebumps making a path along his exposed arms.

And then an idea hits, and Shisui marches Naruto into the kitchen. If Naruto won’t take the time to feed himself, Shisui will just have to make sure he at least eats tonight.

“I took the day off. It’s the first one I’ve had since I took office.” Naruto folds into himself, looking so uncomfortably small that Shisui has to bite his tongue from saying anything out of line, like _well, if you’d just let us help you_ , or _maybe if you’d just eat_ , or _your husband would be really upset to see you like this_.

It’s not like he wants to chase the idiot away.

“Good,” Itachi murmurs sweetly. Shisui’s back is to them, but he’s glad Itachi’s the one doing the comforting right now. He just focuses on setting up the rice cooker and boiling the water for tea. “It’s good to take a day off every now and then, isn’t that what you told Shikamaru the other day when he came back from his last mission? You’re no good to anybody if you run yourself into the ground, right?”

“I know,” Naruto replies, muffled as it is with his face buried in his arms. “But when I’m not working, all I do is worry. At least if I’m busy, I have less time to _think_.”

“And keeping busy is a good thing,” Itachi agrees, “as long as you’re taking care of yourself.”

Shisui breaks. “But you aren’t.”

Naruto keens, chokes on the sound, and his sorrow is like a knife in Shisui’s chest. But he endures.

“You aren’t taking care of yourself, and I’m _scared_ .” His fingers grip the edge of the counter, knuckles turning white. None of this is fair, he knows Naruto’s heart is made of glass, that Naruto can’t stand the loss, but they’re _shinobi_ , and loss is inevitable. And maybe… maybe, if they at least had _closure_ , Naruto would be able to endure, too.

“I… don’t know how to be alone.” His confession comes out of the blue, when the room has gone quiet but for Shisui pouring three mugs of tea. He continues, voice low and choked, “you two have always been… so important. And I don’t know… I don’t know how to ask, but I can’t pretend that I don’t _want_ …”

_Huh?_

“Of course you aren’t alone, we’re always here,” Itachi soothes, practically second-nature. And it’s true, they’ll always be here for Naruto, but then, why is Shisui’s heart doing a skip-step? Why does he feel like something else is happening here?

Naruto keens again, but it spurs Shisui to turn around. "That's not what I _mean_ , Itachi."

“Then what do you-mmph!” He watches, hand tightening around his teacup, as Naruto reaches out and gathers the front of Itachi’s shirt in his grasp, pulling Shisui’s husband into a gentle kiss, just a tender brush of lips. It ends too soon in Shisui’s opinion, but that could be due to Shisui’s attention.

“N-Naruto?” Itachi’s voice is barely there, pitched and breathy like it gets when Shisui presses him against the wall and…

_There are other things to worry about right now, like ‘my husband is going to leave me’, or ‘I’m about to be a third wheel in my own marriage and I don’t even mind.’_

The Hokage takes a breath, arms wrapping around his torso, an attempt at comfort. “The last time I told you I loved you, I don’t think you knew that this is what I meant,” Naruto explains, scarred cheeks flushed pink in the dim lamplight. “Do you remember, Itachi?”

A moment passes. Itachi gasps. “When your team was attacked by the snake… But I thought-” He pauses, glances at Shisui, tries again. “You really-” Itachi shakes his head at the blond. “You really love us?”

_Us?_

_Us, as in…_

“Naruto?” his own voice whispers, cracks.

Naruto’s gaze settles on Shisui this time. “I’ve loved you guys for a really long time. I guess I never said… I never made it clear, because I didn’t know if I’d ever be ready… But the last few years, there’s just been this… this little voice in my head telling me that I was never _not_ ready.”

_But if Kakashi comes home--No. When Kakashi comes home, is he going to ask Naruto to return to his arms, and only his arms?_

“After all,” Naruto adds, voice even softer, eyes settling on the table-top. “Kakashi told me twenty years ago that he didn’t have a problem with it.” He fidgets.

_Twenty-_

_All this time, we could have-_

“Then why?” slips from Shisui’s mouth unbidden, and he doesn’t know how to take it back.

“I kept thinking ‘how can I possibly make three people happy when all I’ve ever done is hide?’” Naruto scoffs, shaking his head. “As if any one of you wouldn’t have put me in my place when I needed you to.”

A moment passes, and Shisui acts on autopilot. By the time he places a bowl of rice and a mug of tea on the table in front of their dishevelled Hokage, the silence has begun verging on uncomfortable.

Shisui sits down in the empty chair with his arms crossed. “Eat.” Naruto blinks. Shisui sighs. “Naruto, I love you and everything, but you’ve barely eaten in weeks and I’m losing sleep over it, so _please_ just do me a favor and _eat_.”

Itachi slips a hand into the one Shisui doesn’t have wrapped around his mug, gaze soft and hopeful. Naruto eats. It’s easier to breathe. Easier to hope.

_Please. Please just let us take care of you._

His thoughts betray him with an inkling of something he’s never even uttered to Itachi.

_Maybe… maybe, when he’s home… Kakashi will let us take care of him, too._

/

At first, Kakashi’s level of awareness is minimal, at best. He has a splitting headache, and his limbs are phantoms that refuse to move when he wants them to, so he drifts in the space between consciousness and sleep, hoping that when he resurfaces, things will be back to normal.

Unfortunately, his brain has other ideas. Kakashi finally drags his brain out of low power mode only to find that he’s not in control of his own body--and his body is in bad shape.

_If Naruto has ever let the fox take over, did it feel like this? I don’t think I could stand it._

His body seemingly has its own agenda, running this way and that, and it’s not until he realizes he’s not even at the forefront of his own mind that Kakashi starts to think things are _really weird_.

**_There, now that everything’s set up, all I have to do is find the child._ **

Kakashi wishes he could just _pause_ for a moment.

_What child? What’s going on here?_

He’d really like to know!

But then…

Then such a _vile, tormented_ chakra brushes across his senses (so he can still feel those?), and Kakashi knows he’s felt it before, but it takes him a moment to realize-

_This is the night Naruto disappeared._

But how? How is that possible, and why is _Kakashi_ -

**_Man, you’re really giving me a headache._ **

His body coughs once, twice, a wet, hacking cough that leaves a metallic taste in his mouth.

_Me?_

If he was in control of their breathing, he’s willing to bet his breath would be shuddering with the weight of what they’re about to do. _I’m literally about to commit treason._

“Treason? So, you’re me? You’ve been pretty quiet up until now.” His body, the other Kakashi (vaguely, he remembers that Naruto had called him _Kashi Two_ ), darts through the streets, light on his feet despite their obvious illness.

And _Naruto_ , so young and happy, the brightest light in his life, doesn’t even _blink_ when the Other asks him to come.

_I miss that blind optimism._

**_Hold on, does this… it doesn’t work?_ **

Kakashi doesn’t have control over their body, but if he did, he’d be rubbing the back of his neck. _It works._ He wants to complain that the Other is the reason Kakashi doesn’t see Naruto’s face again until he’s sixteen, but he doesn’t. _So, you’re going to train him?_

**_Of course, I’m not just going to leave a four year old in the woods! Are you an idiot?_ **

Over time, Kakashi and the original version of himself get used to each other. Can he really complain when he’s getting to watch Naruto learn all the things he’d never gotten the chance to teach him?

And the boy is such a breath of fresh air, a delight. He never complains, because _why would I be sad, Kashi? I have you!_

It’s a balm to his needy soul in a way that his husband’s reassurances never really are, because there’s always been this underlying fear that the one who took Naruto away wasn’t _worthy_ , that nagging thought in the back of his mind that never really left, like _‘what if he was brainwashed while he was away, what if he doesn’t even know his own feelings from what was drilled into him?’_

And he’s sure as hell not going to take Naruto for granted when he gets back home.

Come hell or highwater, he _will_ make it home.

**_Did you say husband?_ **

Kakashi notes the tinge of… _something_ in the Other’s inner voice. _Yes, Naruto is my husband. Er. Ours? You don’t remember Sensei arranging that?_

He watches from the backseat while his body traces the scars like whiskers on Naruto’s chubby cheeks, the boy asleep in his lap. “I remember, but… even after all of this, after taking him from Sensei and Kushina… He doesn’t take it out on you?”

 _He loves us,_ Kakashi replies. _He loves us as a child, he loves us when he’s sixteen, he loves us on our wedding day, and he loves us when we’re forty-nine._

“He makes it. He makes it, _he makes it_ , that’s all I hoped… I didn’t think about… about what that meant for me. Or, well, _you_.” He coughs, wiping the fresh blood off of his hand onto his pants. “But he really married you? No restrictions?”

_Restrictions?_

“There’s no underlying ‘I’ll only marry you if…’”

Kakashi wishes he had a head to shake in disbelief. _I think your ideas of what Naruto is going to be like as an adult are pretty twisted from who Naruto is._

“Well, yeah. Coming back in time is the first time I’ve seen him since the funeral. I only have four years to go off of.”

Kakashi’s stomach turns, but-

But he feels like he needs to know what this other version saved him from, needs to know the kind of grief he might have suffered. He doesn’t even need to ask for the Other to understand, to bring up what’s probably his most painful memory.

( _N--the child is impossibly still, but Kakashi doesn’t even think when he lunges into the small alleyway, filled with relief, and pulls him into his arms, not until it occurs to him to wake the boy._

_But the boy won’t wake._

_The boy_ can’t _wake, will never wake again._

Sensei’s son isn’t breathing. Sensei’s son’s heart isn’t beating. Sensei’s s--

_Kakashi chokes on the air building in his chest, chokes out a sob and turns off his headset. He just needs a moment._

_Naruto is cold under his hands, and now that any leftover relief has faded, Kakashi notices the bruises. And the dried blood at the corner of Naruto’s mouth._

Had it been quick? Did he suffer much? Were you watching him, Father?

_Kakashi can piece together what must’ve happened. When the people of the village realized what was going on, and saw the Nine-Tails with their own eyes, they panicked. It only makes sense that Naruto was caught in the flood of civilians trying to get away. And he’s so small , it only makes sense that they didn’t see him, that they trampled right over him without even noticing._

_But now_

_Now Naruto is dead. The boy who brought sunshine into his life, who brought happiness back into his life, is gonegonegone, and Kakashi can’t breathe--_ )

The memory cuts off abruptly, both versions of Kakashi struggling against the constricting of their throat.

Kakashi arrests all thoughts of Naruto, cold and bruised and _gone_ , forcing himself to remember tangled limbs and bleary eyed breakfasts and a thousand kisses shared.

 _He’s going to suffer, but so did we,_ he manages to grit out. _Naruto is the strongest person I’ve ever known and I owe my life to him over and over again. But it’s not just that he’s wonderful, he makes everybody in his orbit_ feel _wonderful._

 _He makes_ me _feel wonderful._

The boy shifts in his lap, rubbing at his nose in his sleep, and Kakashi’s heart melts because really, Naruto hasn’t changed at all.

_He’s going to be just fine._

/

“Sometimes, I forget you were ever missing.”

Naruto hums, only half paying attention to his self-proclaimed health advisor, adjusting his glasses so that he can better read the pile of reports Tsukiko dropped off this morning. “Hmm, that’s probably because you didn’t know me when I was little.”

Shisui chuckles. “Mikoto-san and your mother are friends, so she’d bring you ‘round every so often. They don’t see each other very much, anymore, but I knew _of_ you.” He paces the length of the room, unused to spending so much time in Naruto’s office. Itachi and Sasuke and Sai are all on Naruto’s guard rotation, but Shisui prefers working in the regular jounin ranks.

Or, he had, until Naruto paid them an overnight visit and got some things straightened out.

“Hokage-sama,” Shisui starts again, but his tone has changed and Naruto’s attention is caught. The mission reports can wait, he supposes. Shisui will just have to protect him from his little sister’s wrath. “What can you tell me about the night you disappeared?”

 _Oh, hellfire, it feels like so_ long _ago. I’m getting old, Kurama._

**You’re still an infant compared to me.**

Ah. That’s true.

“Well, on the night I disappeared, Kurama was pried from his previous jinchuuriki and my captor sealed him into me in order to protect the village. And then he took me into the Forest of Death to train me for a year before he promptly disappeared.”

“Who was he?”

“Oh, it was a time traveler who saved my life by making me a jinchuuriki.” Naruto rubs his temple, feeling like he’s forgetting something rather vital about that night… but it was so _long_ ago.

Shisui leans a hip against Naruto’s desk, his arms crossed over his chest. “Well, that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. I believe you about the time travel, but don’t you remember that you were so shy you barely looked anybody in the eyes? Why would you have gone with somebody you didn’t know? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No, of course not, I… I knew his face.”

Naruto’s heart stills in his chest, a swooping feeling in his gut.

“Shisui,” he rises out of his chair, “I _knew his face!_ He showed me his-- _Dammit_ , how could I be so _stupid_!” He points to one corner of the room, attention shifting. “Tiger, go to my father, tell him it’s urgent but not an emergency. And Panther, I need you to find Crow and bring him here immediately.” Naruto flips his tally sheet to the empty side and writes out the math, _just to make sure._

“Naruto?” Shisui murmurs, leaning close now that the guards are gone. His eyes are so concerned, so warm, Naruto can’t ignore the butterflies that erupt in his stomach despite the fact that they’ve known each other for so long. They’ve only been in a relationship for two weeks.

Naruto leans across the desk to kiss him, unable to stop himself from smiling into it. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”

“Hokage-sama?” Itachi crouches in the window sill, brows drawn together in concern.

But Naruto’s chest feels lighter than it has in almost five months, and he lets himself let go of the fear and the worry and the _guilt_ , because there really was _nothing_ he could have done. “Itachi, Itachi, I knew his face!” His other partner inches into the room at his tone, looking confused, but less worried.

“You knew whose face?” Itachi doesn’t object when Naruto drapes an arm over his shoulders, his arm circling Naruto’s waist.

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” Shisui takes a moment to cross the floor and kiss his husband, but then they both turn their attention back to Naruto, who only smiles.

Luckily, his father comes through the door in the next moment, looking worried and tired, but no worse for wear. “Ah…” His head cocks.

Naruto waves a dismissive hand at the silent question, separating himself from his partners to return to his desk. “It’s fine, we’re in a relationship. But that’s not why you’re here. Dad, do you remember why I willingly went with my abductor?”

A moment passes while Minato thinks back, his expression blank and concentrated. And then his jaw falls open. “You knew him, it was-” He cuts himself off, relief and affection coming off of him in waves. “I was even told that the time traveler was lovingly dubbed ‘Kashi Two’.”

“Yep!” Naruto rubs the back of his neck. “I guess it never occurred to me that the jutsu would affect the altered version of Kakashi, too. If it works the way I think it does, the two of them are probably sharing a body, so he’s probably going to be sick when he gets back, but it’s nothing I can’t fix with a little healing.” Unfortunately, if Naruto doesn’t know where Kakashi’s going to land, he can’t anticipate his arrival and be ready to heal him. “He’s going to get back on the anniversary. Damn, it never even occurred to me that he disappeared on the anniversary.”

The four of them fall silent for an awkward moment, and then Naruto’s father clears his throat. “So… You’re married, and you’re also in a relationship with another married couple?”

Naruto coughs, shrugging his shoulders. “We love each other.” And he can’t help but blush a bit, too. “I mean, I kind of… spent way too much time pining, and these two were sure I didn’t feel the same way…, but Kakashi thinks they’re lovely, too, and I realized there’s no good reason to keep pretending when we could all disappear tomorrow, you know?”

Silence falls across the office again, but when Naruto meets his father’s gaze, Minato is smiling at him. “You’re at least going to have to bring them around for family meals, now. I’m going to tell your mother about Kakashi, unless you need anything else, Godaime-sama?”

Naruto grins. “Thank you. And, um… maybe keep Tsukiko occupied long enough for me to escape?”

He receives one mischievous grin as his father turns to leave. “You have two minutes to get out of here.”

 _We only need thirty seconds,_ Naruto thinks, sharing a look with Shisui and Itachi.

_We’re going to be okay._

/

Itachi is relieved when things get back to normal (that is, as normal as things can be when you and your husband are in a committed relationship with the current Hokage, whose own husband is missing-but-not and the Hokage is still worried for him and wishing he was back home).

The thing is, Itachi’s worried for his senpai, too. After all, Kakashi was his ANBU captain for a short time, and a vague sort-of friend who Itachi knows would feel the same worry over Itachi if only for Naruto’s sake. When Naruto had come to them in the middle of the night, Itachi had begun to fear the worst. The feeling had gripped at him, constricting his chest, until Naruto had been able to get his words out.

_The fact that he came to us still baffles me._

Itachi’s amazed, because Naruto had come to them even though his fear of rejection kept him from being up front with Kakashi for a long time after he had control over his abilities as the jinchuuriki.

 _Speaking of Naruto…_ Itachi takes a moment to turn his attention to the man below his perch in the rafters. Naruto is back to working more than strictly necessary, but Itachi’s beginning to think it’s no longer because Kakashi’s missing, and more because Naruto doesn’t know how to _not_. After all, it’s far past a reasonable hour for Naruto to stop for the evening, especially with the way his little sister had poked her head in to state that she was going home, as if she was hoping he’d pack up, too.

“Crow, come down here for me.”

Itachi lands lightly, just behind Naruto’s right shoulder, but the Godaime Hokage spins his chair and pulls Itachi closer, pressing his face into Itachi’s belly with a sigh. And what can he do but card his fingers through his lover’s hair, ignoring the twinge of confusion from the other guard in the room?

After all, Sasuke doesn’t know _everything_ about his beloved older brothers (even though they know everything about him).

“You’re overworking yourself again,” Itachi murmurs, unbothered by the arms wrapped around his waist. “Shisui will come in here and demand you take care of yourself again.”

A groan. “I’m eating, I’m sleeping, and I haven’t made myself bleed in seven days. I think that’s an improvement.” It all comes out muffled against Itachi’s armor, but at least ANBU armor isn’t hard or uncomfortable.

He fights a smile, thumb stroking the whisker-like scars on Naruto’s right cheek. Before he can say anything, though, they both tense at the chakra signatures coming down the hall. Itachi doesn’t recognize two of them, but the third is Sasuke’s new boyfriend.

Naruto pulls away, pressing a kiss to Itachi’s hand before turning back to the small stack of paperwork on his desk.

 _Is this why he’s working late?_ Itachi thinks, slipping back into the woodwork.

The three of them shift slightly at the knock on the door.

“Enter,” Naruto calls, but then he forms quick hand signs and suddenly, standing beside him is a perfect replica of himself back when he went by Kitsune.

Deer steps in accompanied by two shinobi with crossed out _hitai-ate_. The taller one has bandages wrapped around the lower half of his face and wary eyes--the smaller one looks feminine, but then, people have said the same about Itachi.

“Hokage-sama,” Deer bows his head. “Momochi Zabuza and Yuki Haku, formerly of the Hidden Mist.”

Naruto gives the three of them a smile. “Thank you, Deer. You may go, if you’d like, but you’re welcome to stay.”

“I’d prefer to stay,” Deer responds, moving to stand at Naruto’s shoulder.

Naruto’s smile never falters, he never even seems worried about hosting two missing-nin. Sure, Itachi knows that Naruto called this meeting, but he is a little surprised that he’s being so laid back about it.

“Maa, Crow-chan,” he utters toward Itachi’s hiding place, “why should I worry? You and Sparrow and Deer are nervous enough for both of me.”

He watches the one called Haku mouth those words to himself, brow furrowed. And then he blinks, face smoothing out, and kneels.

When Zabuza sees this, he sinks to a knee, as well, though Itachi can’t quite tell if he’s caught on, or not.

Naruto’s glee is loud in the quiet of the room, though he makes no audible sound. “Now, now, we’re old friends, there’s no need for that!” His clone, looking like Kitsune, slips off his mask to reveal a younger version of Naruto, still missing one eye.

“Welcome to my home,” the clone adds when both missing-nin are looking up at him in reverence. _How well do they know him?_ “When I was told you were at the edge of the country, I thought maybe the two of you were looking for a new home. What can you tell me about the group you’ve been traveling with?”

Naruto dismisses the clone, gesturing for the two of them to come closer.

“They’re refugees,” Haku finally answers. He smiles, too. “It’s good to see you again, Kitsune-sama.”

The Hokage nods, looking pleased. “Well, you and your refugees are welcome here in Konoha for as long as you’d like. Any who want a permanent living situation will be taken care of, and if either of you would like a place in my ranks, you need only say so.” He stands. “But, Haku-chan, you’ve always been kind. If you choose to stay, there’s no obligation to continue being a shinobi. You can live a civilian life, if that’s what you would prefer.” Naruto’s eyes slide over to Zabuza. “Now, you wouldn’t have to join either, but I’m pretty sure you like being a shinobi, Zabuza-kun.”

“Hai, Hokage-sama.”

After a moment where he simply studies them, Naruto closes his eyes, letting his Kyuubi Chakra Mode settle over his skin, clothes glowing along with his features. He smiles after several seconds of silence. “I believe you.” The cloak falls away and Naruto waves a hand toward his left. Sasuke drops to the floor. “Sparrow will take you to get your new _hitai-ate_ and the needed paperwork. And he’s going to play nice, or else he’ll be taking over the next guard rotation, as well.”

A cough. “Hai, hai, Hokage-sama.”

/

Kakashi comes around to a stark white ceiling and similarly plain walls, though his surroundings are dim and he assumes it must be late. His nose tells him it’s a hospital and not a torture chamber. His body tells him he’s achy from illness but no longer _ill_. His ears tell him there’s a voice at his bedside, talking in low tones.

“...let Sasuke take some time off, too, so they’ve been together ever since. I haven’t spent too many nights at home, though, because it’s too empty without you. Ne, Kakashi~, Shisui declared himself my personal health advisor and won’t leave me alone if he thinks I’m getting too thin. Or not sleeping enough. I’m pretty sure Itachi’s giving him reports when he’s on duty.” A sigh. “By the way, Tsunade-baa-chan came back to the village for Sakura’s wedding. I didn’t tell the kids where you were, just in case something really awful happened, you know, and Sakura was really devastated that you couldn’t be there, but Ino was tired of putting it off for somebody who’d already been missing for five months.”

Pressure against Kakashi’s wrist reminds him that the voice is attached to a person, and that person is touching him, and Kakashi can finally _feel_ it. He can feel the pressure instead of the _impression,_ because it’s _his body_.

Home. He’s home, with memories of two lifetimes and not enough space in his head, but he’s not upset because if he’s home, that means he’s _home_ . And home means _Naruto_.

“Ohaiyo.”

The hand wrapped around his wrist twitches almost imperceptibly.

“I take it you healed my lungs,” he continues, letting his head roll so that he can _see_ his husband’s face. “Thank you.”

Naruto’s eyes are glassy in the dim light, but he smiles. “I missed you. How was your trip?”

“Maa, getting to see chibi-Naru-chan again? I have no big complaints. It’s not like I had control over my own body, but I got to witness a piece of your childhood I really missed out on.” Kakashi wraps his hand around Naruto’s, giving it a squeeze. Now that he’s more alert, he can smell more than antiseptic and bleach, which means he can smell his husband, which also means he can smell the other people on his husband. 

“It took me longer than it should have to remember where the hell you were. Like, I know that you were with me pretty much the entire time you were gone, because I remember it, but before that, I… Well, I had a hard time functioning.” Naruto presses a kiss to Kakashi’s hand, head bowed. “I was scared, you know? I’m supposed to be so strong, right? But I couldn’t do anything for you, I had no idea where you were, if you were okay, if you were even alive.” He clears his throat. “I’m really glad you’re back.”

“I’m glad I’m back, too,” Kakashi murmurs, squeezing Naruto’s hand. “You know, before… Before, I had this fear in my mind that maybe that first year, somebody had brainwashed you. Maybe it had been me, but I wasn’t myself anymore, you know? And until I got there, and I saw with my own eyes what really happened, I couldn’t shake that feeling that you were only with me because you believed you had to be.” He keeps going when Naruto starts to protest, heart in his throat. “I know you aren’t brainwashed, now. I trust you, I always have, but now it’s easier to accept that your feelings for me are real, and I just want you to know how much it means to me that you’re still here with me.” With that being said, Kakashi wants to move onto lighter topics, because his husband has probably shed enough tears for both of them. “What did you get up to while I was gone? You’ve told me about Sasuke and Sakura.”

His husband turns pink. “Um. Shikaku nominated me for Godaime? So, uh. You’re now the Hokage’s kept man and no longer on active duty. And, I… spoke to Shisui and Itachi.”

_Godaime… Hokage?_

Something flutters in Kakashi’s chest at the idea of being Naruto’s kept man, but he’ll stay silent about it for now. “So, you finally told them?”

His husband nods, quick and blushing. “But… you know, Kakashi… I don’t think I’m the only one in this marriage that’s interested.”

Kakashi’s heart pounds once, twice. He clears his throat. “Maa, Hokage-sama, you know I would never lie to you.” He would never lie, maybe, but omitting the truth? About this? Perhaps. Naruto deserves to be loved, but Kakashi… is the reason both of his teammates nearly lost their lives in the war. Is the reason Sensei and Sensei’s wife lost out on twelve years of their son’s life.

He blinks himself out of his thoughts when he realizes Naruto is leaning over him, blue eyes intense and burning. In this moment, he feels like prey to Naruto’s predator. And Naruto is most certainly at the very top of the food chain.

“Kakashi,” he says in that tone that suggests he’s disappointed, but not surprised, and maybe a little bit hurt. “After everything I’ve done, all the hurt I’ve put you through, do you really think I deserve what I have? I don’t think I do, personally, but I’m not going to pretend that I don’t love you, or Itachi and Shisui. I know your mind, Kakashi. I know you think that you don’t deserve me, or the other two, but I’m _yours_. And if you open your eyes, you’ll see that they are too.” He dips a little closer, their noses almost touching. “Why should you deny yourself, when you’ve encouraged me time and time again to confess?”

Can it really be possible, though, that those two would want Kakashi? And will Kakashi be able to expose his softer parts to people who aren’t his husband? Is he ready for that? Is he ready for more affection than he’s ever received in his life?

_I should deny myself because…_

_I should deny myself for Naruto. For the promise I made his parents, for-_

_But Naruto doesn’t want me to pretend._

_And he has never pretended. His masks are always down for me, and maybe now for them, too, and I…_

Lips brush against his temple. “I made my vows to you, Kakashi. If it truly troubles you, we can go back to the way it was, and I won’t hold it against you for changing your mind.”

He can always sniff out a lie. Kakashi knows when somebody is lying, so he’s pretty sure that Naruto has never lied to him, not once. Not even as Kitsune.

He’s not lying now, either.

But Kakashi doesn’t want him to end things with those two, he _doesn’t._ Because he loves Naruto. And _maybehelovesthemtoo._

“Naruto.” His arms, heavy as they feel when he moves them, pull Naruto onto the bed with him, his husband settles against him as if he’d never left. In a way, he hadn’t, he supposes. “They’re not expecting you to leave them, are they?”

The newest Hokage hums. “They try to hide it, but I think they still feel like it’s temporary. Even though I’ve told them more than once that I had your blessing twenty years ago.”

Kakashi breathes Naruto in, letting his eyes slip shut. Now that he thinks about it, he can sense Naruto’s ANBU guard in the crevices of the room. _They’re familiar…_

_Sasuke? Tenzo?_

He sighs, letting the ANBU slip from his mind. He’d join the rotation if he was permitted, but then, as the first gentleman, he’s really not allowed to risk his life unless there are no other options.

“Maybe they’ll start believing it when I confess, ne?”

He gets a kiss for choosing vulnerability instead of comfort.

_I’ve never had to confess to anybody else, before. Still, Naruto has always been shy, but he confessed to them. Perhaps it won’t be as hard as it seems._

_Or, maybe it will be much, much worse._ After all, Naruto has always been braver than Kakashi, too.

/

He’s reading _Icha Icha Innocence_ for the umpteenth time (even though it isn’t his favorite), when the door to his recovery room slides open one morning a few days later. He doesn’t glance up, mostly because he trusts his nose more than he does his eyes sometimes, but also because he might actually be regretting his decision on the grounds that he doesn’t actually know what he’s supposed to say?

Has Naruto told them what Kakashi _wants_ to say? Was he even the one who sent them over?

“We thought when Hokage-sama returned to work that it meant you were recovering okay,” Itachi explains softly. Gentle. “And we were hoping you wouldn’t mind some company, senpai.”

Kakashi hums, setting his novel on the nightstand while directing a smile at the pair of Uchiha who’ve wormed their way into his heart. “I don’t mind at all.”

“We’re not interrupting your book?” Shisui snorts, pulling up one of the chairs at the edge of the room and sitting backward so that his arms are draped over the backrest. “We can always come back another time.”

 _If you left now, I’d lose my nerve._ “Maa, I’ve read it plenty. Besides, it’s not my favorite.” Itachi perches on another seat, tucking his hands under his knees. When he scents the air, he understands that they’re nervous, but unfortunately, scent cannot tell him _why_ . Beneath that, though, he scents affection and warmth, and _relief_ nearly as strong as Naruto’s.

Had they really been worried for him?

He rubs a hand over his eyes, annoyed that he’s so tired despite having been stuck in bed for days. He’s an elite jounin, _former ANBU_ , he’s better than this!

“We’re glad you made it back,” Shisui murmurs, knuckles turning white against the plastic chair. “Until his memory got jogged, Naruto--Hokage-sama-” He cuts himself off, teeth cutting into his bottom lip.

“We were worried that he’d end up in the hospital,” Itachi finishes.

Kakashi understands Naruto’s pain perfectly. “I guess I can’t be angry at him for not taking care of himself. I wasn’t much better when _he_ was missing.” He tries for another smile. “Thank you for taking care of him.”

Shisui shifts. “We can… We’ve offered to step back. He’s your husband, and we…”

It takes a moment, but it finally occurs to Kakashi that Shisui’s asking for his blessing to continue their relationship with Naruto. Butterflies erupt in his stomach as if he isn’t fifty years old, which only serves to fluster him even more, on top of the fact that... He kind of missed being deferred to.

“Do you remember the night Naruto restored your eye, Shisui-chan?”

Shisui nods, brow furrowed.

“I’ve known about your feelings ever since. Both of you,” he adds to Itachi, whose cheeks flush pink in the morning light. “And I gave my husband my blessing that night. See, the thing is, the three of you have always had a bit of a relationship, anyway. Besides, even if he hadn’t told me when I woke up, I could smell both of you on him.” He shrugs his shoulders, mostly content with the turn of events. “I’m never going to ask you to leave.” A moment passes. He clears his throat. “I don’t want you to leave.”

It’s not a confession. Not really. He knows that, of course he does, but-

But then, why does Shisui’s breath hitch? Just a little, just after Kakashi falls silent, but it happens. He trusts his ears. Most of the time.

And Itachi shifts _ever so slightly_ , as if he’s _physically_ on the edge of his seat.

His heart pounds.

“My husband is not the only one who has held his tongue for too long.” The admission is both a weight off his shoulders and a pit in his stomach. After all, despite Naruto’s assurances, Kakashi _doesn’t_ know how they feel. Affection and relief could mean any number of things, right? They could just be relieved he’s back for Naruto’s sake, right?

_Sure, I’ve spent plenty of time with them, and I’ve been pining for a generous amount of time, but does that really mean anything?_

“Kakashi-senpai?” Itachi whispers into the silent room. Apparently, he’s the bravest out of them. “What have you been…?”

“What is it you’re saying?” Shisui finishes, gaze intense. Kakashi can smell the blood from his abused lip, and the maniacal side of his brain wants him to lick it away, but then, he doesn’t have permission for that, does he?

_Oh, but I want permission._

At least he has permission from one out of three, right?

“I’m saying… that I have a confession to make.” He fidgets with the blanket that’s pooling in his lap, heartbeat frantically pounding in his chest. _I wish Naruto was here._ “You see, a long time ago, I realized something. And I just kept thinking, ‘if I don’t deserve this, at least _he_ does.’” Kakashi hums. “He said he doesn’t think he deserves any of us, but it never stopped him from wanting us.”

It’s hard to look at them, even if he hasn’t simply blurted out the truth, because they’re smart men and he’s sure they’ve figured him out.

“After everything you’ve been through, Kakashi,” Shisui declares, his voice rough, “and everything you sacrificed to give us a better life--don’t even try to protest, because I got the full story out of Naruto. You think-” He cuts himself off again, taking a deep breath. “I wish that you didn’t think yourself unworthy.”

But _Naruto_ is the one who sacrificed everything. His family, his home, all for the good of the people, all because Kakashi told him to. He’s unworthy because he turned his most precious person into a tool against the forces of evil and he didn’t even stay behind to help.

An image flashes behind his eyelids; a child, cold and broken, blue eyes empty, reflecting the sky.

_If I hadn’t gone back, he would be dead._

Before he can respond, before he can reject their idea that Kakashi is some kind of hero, Itachi’s fingers brush his knee.

“Did you not sacrifice what’s most important to you?” he asks kindly. And he's right, _he's right_ , because Kakashi sacrificed _Naruto_. Naruto and all of his innocence, his freedom, his unburdened heart.

Maybe he saved Naruto's _life_ , but he sacrificed him, too. He gave him to the darkness of the world even though he'd wanted nothing more than to be selfish, to keep Naruto's light for himself. Kakashi spent years and years hoping for the right clue. Of course he wouldn't have found him, because it was under Kakashi's guidance that Naruto learned how to evade him, even while in plain sight. And he's amazing.

If Naruto is the sun, are they like the moon? And if Naruto is the sun, and they are the moon, then Kakashi must be the darkness where they cast their light. They shine on him and he feels like living, like holding them up and letting them shine for the whole world to see.

Because he loves Naruto. And he loves them, too.

The air punches out of his lungs, choking him for a moment, but he thinks of sunshine and moonlight and knows that he’s going to be okay.

He says, “I love you,” and means it. And means it, and _means it_.

Because there’s always been one, but now there are three. And all three have a claim over his heart, even if there’s only one that’s been permanently lodging there since _his_ birth. The other two still managed to make a home in his chest, tucked in beside his sunshine and his lungs and his heart, nestled safely for the rest of his life.

The following embrace is messy with tears and an air of _I can’t believe this is happening_ , but Kakashi will take it. He’ll take it, he’ll _thrive_ , because he knows that their sunlight is only a moment away, that when push comes to shove, none of them will be alone ever again.

**...**

_and at last can grant a name_ _  
__to a buried and a burning flame_  
 _as love and its decisive pain_ _  
_oh, my sunlight, sunlight, sunlight

**_Sunlight - Hozier_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3


End file.
